Latest news with #NasserAl-Khelaïfi
Web Release
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Web Release
Message from the President of Paris Saint-Germain
As the most unforgettable season draws to a close, I wanted to say to the whole Paris Saint-Germain family, Thank You. As we look back today, it is easy to forget how demanding the season has been, across so many competitions and countries, at the highest levels and with the hardest groups and pathways. But through our collective spirit – fighting every day for the Club and each other – this season has been the greatest in the history of Paris Saint-Germain. Winning our magnificent first UEFA Champions League trophy – with the second youngest team on Champions League record, the youngest in Paris Saint-Germain's history, and playing in a way that endeared commentators all over the world – will be forever marked in the annals of football. Even more so alongside our Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophée des Champions titles – together with great achievements in handball, judo, women's football, youth football, eSports, and 26 athletes at the Paris Olympics. In the USA this past month, of course, we wanted to finish as World Champions following another memorable tournament campaign beating some of the biggest clubs in the world, but after such a long season we can be so very proud of what our players and staff have achieved as runners-up on the global stage. Everyone has contributed to all these successes – all our Presidents, players, managers, sports directors and staff of the past; and most particularly today I thank our amazing football department and employees, our partners, our incredible coach Luis Enrique, and our soldiers – our players – who defend our institution and fight for the Club every day and every match, both on and off the pitch. I will also never forget our fans: in Paris, across the whole of France, and internationally – we have the best fans in the world. They have followed the team everywhere – every city and country we go, in the stadiums and streets. They never stopped singing, never stopped believing, and pushed the team – winning or losing – to the very last minute. I am so proud our fans are an example to all fans – and the celebrations we all shared on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and in the Parc des Princes in June will remain with us forever. However, our project is not just about winning today or tomorrow or short term success – we are building something strong and enduring for the long term. We have so much more to do, and as the song goes 'après tant d'années de galères et de combats' we will continue to work harder every day. Always remaining humble, always shaped by the collective where the super-star is the team – and with sporting values and pride in the colours of Paris Saint-Germain and representing France in our hearts. Thank you for your support over this most memorable season, and here's to many more successes ahead for Paris Saint-Germain. Ici C'est Paris Nasser Al-Khelaïfi,
Web Release
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Web Release
A young PSG fan injured his arm during the fans' celebrations in the stands vs Real Madrid
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi's kind gesture towards young fan goes viral during Club World Cup semi-final A young PSG fan injured his arm during the fans' celebrations in the stands vs Real Madrid
Web Release
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Web Release
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi's kind gesture towards young fan goes viral during Club World Cup semi-final
A video involving Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and a young fan is going viral on social media, after the president was seen helping the boy who appeared to injure his arm while celebrating during PSG's 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final. The incident took place on Wednesday night, with Al-Khelaïfi seated near Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Upon noticing the boy in discomfort, he stepped in to help. Clips widely shared online show Al-Khelaïfi providing ice for the injury and personally accompanying the fan to the VIP area for medical assistance. He was also seen handing the child a PSG club pin and attaching it to his shirt. The footage quickly gained traction across platforms, with users sharing and commenting on what many described as a touching and genuine moment in the middle of a high-stakes match. PSG, the reigning French and European champions, will now face Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday, 13 July.
Fox Sports
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Champions League final highlights Al-Khelaïfi ties to PSG, UEFA, beIN and Qatar
Associated Press The Champions League final on Saturday will be an especially busy one for Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, perhaps the most multi-tasked official in world soccer. As president of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain since 2011, Al-Khelaïfi's main goal is seeing his team become champion of Europe for the first time against Inter Milan in Munich. As chairman of the influential European Club Association, he leads 700 member teams increasingly taking over from UEFA in shaping sporting and commercial decisions for the Champions League. It also puts him on UEFA's strategy-setting executive committee. As chairman of Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group, Al-Khelaïfi controls exclusive Champions League rights to air the final in the Middle East, North Africa and much of South-East Asia. 'Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is considered a visionary leader in the media industry,' beIN says on its website, adding that in 2016 he 'also acquired the Hollywood film studio Miramax.' He also is a minister in Qatar's government, a director of its sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) that owns PSG. QSI and Al-Khelaïfi — a former tennis professional — also are key in the fast-emerging racket sport padel which has ambitions to be an Olympic sport, maybe in time for the 2036 Summer Games that Qatar and its tennis-loving Emir want to host. Among the invited VIP guests in Munich is Thomas Bach, the outgoing though still influential president of the International Olympic Committee. Saturday can be a peak of Al-Khelaïfi's 14-year career in international soccer that has fueled talk — despite ongoing investigations of his sports career by French authorities — he could be a future FIFA president. Al-Khelaïfi declined comment to The Associated Press after a recent UEFA meeting in Bilbao, Spain. In a statement, PSG said he 'doesn't want to be a distraction and wants humble focus for the team.' From tennis to soccer Now aged 51, Al-Khelaïfi was a tennis pro who played for Qatar in the Davis Cup, bringing him into contact with the future emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Al-Khelaïfi's ATP biography shows his ranking peaked at No. 995 and he played two matches on tour. The first in 1996 was against world No. 2 Thomas Muster in Austria. Brief footage shows a good-natured exchange of shots with Muster in a 6-0, 6-1 mismatch. Al-Khelaïfi's career ended in 2003 and he joined the start-up Al Jazeera Sport as 'director of rights acquisitions,' according to beIN. Qatar stunned soccer in 2010, when FIFA awarded it 2022 World Cup hosting rights, and PSG was bought within months. Rising in soccer The rise of ambitious clubs fueled by Middle East sovereign cash — Qatar and PSG, Abu Dhabi and Manchester City — concerned the storied elite. The ECA helped UEFA introduce financial control rules for European competitions that saw both clubs deducted 20 million euros ($22.7 million) of Champions League prize money in 2014. Still, while Man City did not get on the ECA board, Al-Khelaïfi was elected in 2016. Three years later he got one of two seats reserved for clubs on the UEFA executive committee (ExCo) — despite in-house cautioning about conflicts of interest. Conflicted interests? On election day in 2019 in Rome, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was asked about potential conflicts of interest around Al-Khelaïfi. BeIN was, and still is, among UEFA's main clients also owning extensive European Championship rights. Ceferin's narrowly focused answer was that ExCo members are not involved in approving commercial deals. Any conflict worked in UEFA's favor in 2021 when ECA leaders launched the Super League project designed to rival and replace the Champions League, which beIN broadcasts. PSG's refusal to join rebel clubs from Spain, Italy and England helped to undermine the breakaway that ultimately failed amid a fan backlash and British government threats of legislation. In the fallout, Al-Khelaïfi took over leading the ECA and quickly repaired relations with UEFA and Ceferin. One year later, UEFA opened a disciplinary case into claims the PSG president confronted the match referee after losing in the Champions League at Real Madrid. When UEFA published the verdict Al-Khelaïfi was no longer cited and blame was put on sporting director Leonardo, who PSG had fired weeks earlier. Challenges in France Al-Khelaïfi is not always popular in France where PSG has won 11 of 14 league titles during Qatari ownership. His powerful role has attracted criticism, particularly from John Textor, the American owner at Lyon, including that PSG's funding model involving Qatari money allegedly breaks European Union laws. The pair have argued about poor management of the league's TV rights. In leaked footage from a 2024 meeting of Ligue 1 club owners, Al-Khelaïfi called Textor a cowboy. Textor described his rival as a bully with a conflict of interest given his role at beIN. Al-Khelaïfi's legal challenges in France include some not related to PSG. The recent preliminary charges about possible alleged corruption relate to his links to a French businessman. Proceedings were dropped in relation to Qatari bids to host track and field's world championships, which Doha staged in 2019. In Switzerland, Al-Khelaïfi stood trial twice and was acquitted both times on charges of inciting a top FIFA official to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement from 2013-15. His lawyers said after the second acquittal in 2022 that "years of baseless allegations, fictitious charges and constant smears have been proven to be completely and wholly unsubstantiated — twice.' ___ AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni contributed from Bilbao, Spain ___ AP soccer: in this topic
San Francisco Chronicle
30-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Champions League final highlights Al-Khelaïfi ties to PSG, UEFA, beIN and Qatar
The Champions League final on Saturday will be an especially busy one for Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, perhaps the most multi-tasked official in world soccer. As president of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain since 2011, Al-Khelaïfi's main goal is seeing his team become champion of Europe for the first time against Inter Milan in Munich. As chairman of the influential European Club Association, he leads 700 member teams increasingly taking over from UEFA in shaping sporting and commercial decisions for the Champions League. It also puts him on UEFA's strategy-setting executive committee. As chairman of Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group, Al-Khelaïfi controls exclusive Champions League rights to air the final in the Middle East, North Africa and much of South-East Asia. 'Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is considered a visionary leader in the media industry,' beIN says on its website, adding that in 2016 he 'also acquired the Hollywood film studio Miramax.' He also is a minister in Qatar's government, a director of its sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) that owns PSG. QSI and Al-Khelaïfi — a former tennis professional — also are key in the fast-emerging racket sport padel which has ambitions to be an Olympic sport, maybe in time for the 2036 Summer Games that Qatar and its tennis-loving Emir want to host. Among the invited VIP guests in Munich is Thomas Bach, the outgoing though still influential president of the International Olympic Committee. Saturday can be a peak of Al-Khelaïfi's 14-year career in international soccer that has fueled talk — despite ongoing investigations of his sports career by French authorities — he could be a future FIFA president. Al-Khelaïfi declined comment to The Associated Press after a recent UEFA meeting in Bilbao, Spain. In a statement, PSG said he 'doesn't want to be a distraction and wants humble focus for the team.' From tennis to soccer Now aged 51, Al-Khelaïfi was a tennis pro who played for Qatar in the Davis Cup, bringing him into contact with the future Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Al-Khelaïfi's ATP biography shows his ranking peaked at No. 995 and he played two matches on tour. The first in 1996 was against world No. 2 Thomas Muster in Austria. Brief footage shows a good-natured exchange of shots with Muster in a 6-0, 6-1 mismatch. Al-Khelaïfi's career ended in 2003 and he joined the start-up Al Jazeera Sport as 'Director of Rights Acquisitions,' according to beIN. Qatar stunned soccer in 2010, when FIFA awarded it 2022 World Cup hosting rights, and PSG was bought within months. Rising in soccer The rise of ambitious clubs fueled by Middle East sovereign cash — Qatar and PSG, Abu Dhabi and Manchester City — concerned the storied elite. The ECA helped UEFA introduce financial control rules for European competitions that saw both clubs deducted 20 million euros ($22.7 million) of Champions League prize money in 2014. Still, while Man City did not get on the ECA board, Al-Khelaïfi was elected in 2016. Three years later he got one of two seats reserved for clubs on the UEFA executive committee (ExCo) — despite in-house cautioning about conflicts of interest. Conflicted interests? On election day in 2019 in Rome, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was asked about potential conflicts of interest around Al-Khelaïfi. BeIN was, and still is, among UEFA's main clients also owning extensive European Championship rights. Ceferin's narrowly focused answer was that ExCo members are not involved in approving commercial deals. Any conflict worked in UEFA's favor in 2021 when ECA leaders launched the Super League project designed to rival and replace the Champions League, which beIN broadcasts. PSG's refusal to join rebel clubs from Spain, Italy and England helped to undermine the breakaway that ultimately failed amid a fan backlash and British government threats of legislation. In the fallout, Al-Khelaïfi took over leading the ECA and quickly repaired relations with UEFA and Ceferin. One year later, UEFA opened a disciplinary case into claims the PSG president confronted the match referee after losing in the Champions League at Real Madrid. When UEFA published the verdict Al-Khelaïfi was no longer cited and blame was put on sporting director Leonardo, who PSG had fired weeks earlier. Challenges in France Al-Khelaïfi is not always popular in France where PSG has won 11 of 14 league titles during Qatari ownership. His powerful role has attracted criticism, particularly from John Textor, the American owner at Lyon, including that PSG's funding model involving Qatari money allegedly breaks European Union laws. The pair have argued about poor management of the league's TV rights. In leaked footage from a 2024 meeting of Ligue 1 club owners, Al-Khelaïfi called Textor a cowboy. Textor described his rival as a bully with a conflict of interest given his role at beIN. Al-Khelaïfi's legal challenges in France include some not related to PSG. The recent preliminary charges about possible alleged corruption relate to his links to a French businessman. Proceedings were dropped in relation to Qatari bids to host track and field's world championships, which Doha staged in 2019. In Switzerland, Al-Khelaïfi stood trial twice and was acquitted both times on charges of inciting a top FIFA official to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement from 2013-15. His lawyers said after the second acquittal in 2022 that "years of baseless allegations, fictitious charges and constant smears have been proven to be completely and wholly unsubstantiated — twice.' ___
