Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is being investigated over allegations of 'kidnap and torture' in his homeland of Qatar.
Three French judges have been appointed to launch an investigation into the PSG chief over the 'alleged kidnapping and torture' of Franco-Algerian lobbyist Tayeb Benabderrahmane, reports French outlet L'Equipe.
Tayeb Benabderrahmane said he was detained in Qatar in January 2020 and subsequently held in confinement for six months before being placed under house arrest. The French-Algerian lobbyist said he had "sensitive" documents related to Qatar being awarded the 2022 FIFA World Cup along with beIN Media winning the bid to air the tournament in 2026 and 2030.
Al-Khelaifi is the chairman of beIN Media.
Benabderrahmane said he signed a confidentiality agreement that allowed him to leave Qatar in November 2020.
Al-Khelaifi denied the allegations in a statement to UK newspaper The Sun (h/t Hunsley), calling them "the ultimate media manipulation."
"I'm just amazed so many people have taken their lies and contradictions as credible—but that's the media world we're in today," he said. "Justice will run its course—I don't have time to talk about petty professional criminals."
Many were shocked when Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup. Allegations of corruption in the 2010 bidding process sparked a wider inquiry into FIFA, which resulted in multiple FIFA officials indicted.
Last June, a Swiss court cleared Al-Khelaifi of any wrongdoing in connection to former FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke using his vacation home on multiple instances between 2013 and 2015.
Al-Khelaifi has become an influential figure within European soccer. In addition to his duties at PSG, the 49-year-old was elected to UEFA's executive committee in 2019, and he was appointed as chairman for the European Club Association in 2021.