GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s supreme court upheld the acquittal of Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaïfi in the final appeals stage of a case that alleged wrongdoing linked to former FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke and the awarding of World Cup television rights.
In a separate case, Valcke's conviction of bribery and forgery in relation to World Cup media rights in Italy and Greece was also upheld.
For Al-Khelaïfi, it is his third acquittal in five years on charges related to allegedly allowing Valcke to use a villa in Italy for free from 2013-15. The ruling was described by his lawyers as “a complete vindication.”
“From the outset, this has manifestly been a ‘trophy-hunting’ prosecution by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland — but today, that pursuit is over,” lawyer Marc Bonnant said in a statement.
Prosecutors had tried to link the home in Sardinia, bought by a Qatari company in 2013, to Al-Khelaïfi-led broadcaster beIN Media Group getting a renewed World Cup rights deal from FIFA in a $480 million deal.
But three Swiss federal courts — at criminal, appeals and supreme level — have now ruled there was no wrongdoing in that deal. In the Al-Khelaïfi case, Valcke was also acquitted for a third time on charges of criminal mismanagement harming FIFA, for which prosecutors had sought a prison term of 35 months.
“The Swiss Federal Supreme Court once again confirms that Jérôme Valcke did not cause any damage to FIFA and that his behavior had no negative influence on the very profitable price of the disputed contracts,” his legal firm in Geneva, RVMH, said in a statement.
But Valcke — who was removed from his FIFA post in 2015 and later banned from soccer over wide-ranging misconduct — was convicted again on separate charges not involving Al-Khelaïfi. Those related to forgery and kickbacks in negotiations for World Cup broadcast rights in Italy and Greece.
A third defendant, Greek marketing executive Dinos Deris, had his conviction for active corruption upheld.
The supreme court also upheld the suspended sentences for Valcke and Deris of 11 and 10 months, respectively.
The court combined the appeals brought by the federal prosecution office, and by Valcke and Deris, in one set of rulings. They asked a lower court to look again at financial penalties in the case.
The investigation was opened in 2017, first heard at the federal criminal court in 2020, then retrials at the federal appeals court were held in 2022.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Jerome Valcke, former FIFA Secretary General, arrives at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to challenge his ten-year suspension imposed by FIFA in Lausanne, Switzerland, Wednesday, Oct 11, 2017. (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP, File)
FILE - PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi smiles before the League One soccer match Paris Saint-Germain against Angers at the Parc des Princes stadium, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)
Mohamed Salah's long goodbye to Liverpool begins on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, the competition which represents his best chance of a trophy in his final year at Anfield.
The Egypt winger announced last week that he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season after nine years at a club where he has broken scoring records and established himself as one of the world's best players.
Salah potentially has 15 games left in the famous red shirt: Seven in the Premier League as well as three in the FA Cup and five in the Champions League, should Liverpool reach the final in both of those competitions.
That won't be easy.
In the Champions League, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain is up next in the two-leg quarterfinals and it's pretty much as tough in the FA Cup, with Liverpool handed an away match at Manchester City.
Salah, who has 255 goals in 435 appearances for Liverpool, missed the Reds' last game before the international break — a 2-1 loss at Brighton in the league — with a muscle injury but has told manager Arne Slot he should be healthy enough to return this weekend.
“He just does so much for his body for such a long time that he recovers so fast," Slot said on Wednesday. "So, he will train with the team again tomorrow and if everything works well then he’s available to be with us at City.”
The 33-year-old Salah was left out of the Liverpool team for four straight games at the end of 2025 in what appeared to be a breakdown in his relationship with Slot and the club.
Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah virtually has been an ever-present in the lineup, seemingly winning the Dutch coach round.
“That hunger never drops,” Slot said of Salah. "It's the thing I find most special about him. So many good players around the world — he's definitely one of them in the last 10 years — and to show that hunger every three days, that professionalism, that commitment to the club and to the team, wanting to score again, always wanting to play ...
“When you take him out three minutes before the end, he's like, ‘Ah, maybe I could have scored one extra.’”
City, meanwhile, is seeking a domestic cup double after beating Arsenal in the English League Cup final on March 22. Pep Guardiola's team is also chasing Arsenal in the Premier League, which takes a break this weekend to give the FA Cup its own space in the calendar.
The other FA Cup quarterfinals take place across Saturday and Sunday.
After City-Liverpool in the early kickoff on Saturday, Chelsea hosts third-tier Port Vale — the lowest-ranked team left in the competition — before Arsenal visits second-tier Southampton.
On Sunday, West Ham hosts Leeds in an all-Premier League matchup.
Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has less than two months to persuade England coach Thomas Thomas he is worthy of a place in the World Cup squad.
Foden started both of England’s recent friendly games — a draw with Uruguay and a loss to Japan — but failed to impress either in the No. 10 role or as a “false nine," prompting Tuchel to say it's “ not a guarantee ” that Foden will be at the World Cup.
Foden was English soccer's player of the year in the 2023-24 season but has not maintained his top form and has rarely started for City in recent months.
Arsenal's team sheet for the Southampton game will be heavily scrutinized, given 10 players missed games for their national team over the international break because of various issues.
Eberechi Eze, Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard already had injuries that caused them to miss the League Cup final, before Piero Hincapie, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Leandro Trossard all pulled out of international duty.
England's Noni Madueke and Spain's Martin Zubimendi missed the second games for their respective countries after reporting injuries.
There might be growing disharmony at Chelsea, going off recent comments by two of the team's best players.
Enzo Fernandez said after elimination in the Champions League that he couldn't guarantee being at Chelsea next season, while Marc Cucurella told The Athletic during this international break that the team was “more stable” under coach Enzo Maresca, who was fired in January, and, "If you asked me, I would not have made this decision.”
Liam Rosenior, the current Chelsea coach, is under big pressure after four straight defeats.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
England's Phil Foden holds the ball during the international friendly soccer match between England and Uruguay in London, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
FILE - Liverpool's manager Arne Slot talks to Mohamed Salah during the Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
