The Swiss justice has sentenced former FIFA number two Jerôme Valcke to eleven months in prison and a fine of 20,000 Swiss francs (19,000 euros) for corruption, a sentence that confirms the one issued two years ago and in which he was acquitted again President of Paris Saint Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
The ruling of the Court of Appeal in the Federal Criminal Court confirms the one issued in October 2020, in which Valcke, general secretary of the highest governing body in world football between 2007 and 2015, was convicted of "passive corruption" and document falsification.
The prison sentence is still suspended, a legal formula by which the French manager will avoid going to jail unless he commits new crimes in the future.
A third defendant, Greek businessman Dinos Deris, has been sentenced to a 10-month suspended prison sentence for repeated active corruption.
The case revolves around Valcke's alleged support for Al-Khelaïfi's beIN television group to obtain North African and Middle Eastern broadcast rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.
In exchange, according to the accusation, the FIFA manager would have received a luxury villa on the Italian island of Sardinia, acquired for 5 million euros by a company that at that time was owned by the president of PSG.
Al-Khelaïfi's acquittal appears to be based on the fact that no unfair conduct or harm to FIFA was detected in the operation, bearing in mind that beIN was the sole contender for the broadcasting rights and that its offer was 60% higher than the money paid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Valcke was FIFA's "number two" in the last stage of Sepp Blatter's presidency, who also faces before the Swiss courts, along with former UEFA president Michel Platini, another case for alleged fraud, whose sentence is expected next July 8.
