Swiss Supreme Court Upholds Conviction of Former FIFA Secretary-General Valcke

S Switzerland’s Supreme Court has upheld the corruption convictions of former FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke and Greek businessman Dinos Deris over bribery linked to the allocation of World Cup media rights.

The court confirmed earlier rulings that found Valcke and Deris guilty of conspiring to manipulate broadcasting deals for the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cups in Italy and Greece.

The original verdict was delivered in June 2022.
Valcke was sentenced to an 11-month suspended prison term after being convicted of accepting a €1.25 million bribe. He was also found guilty of forgery in connection with the illicit arrangement. Deris was convicted for his role in offering the bribe and facilitating the corrupt agreement.

Prosecutors had argued that the scheme undermined the integrity of FIFA’s commercial processes by granting favourable media rights in exchange for personal financial benefits, in violation of Swiss anti-corruption laws.

In a related but separate case, the Supreme Court once again cleared Paris Saint-Germain and beIN Sports president Nasser Al-Khelaifi of any wrongdoing over the awarding of World Cup broadcasting rights for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Al-Khelaifi’s legal team described the ruling as “a complete vindication,” noting that it marked the third acquittal in the case and brought to an end more than eight years of legal proceedings. They added that the prolonged case had caused unjustified harm to his reputation.

The ruling closes one of the most high-profile legal chapters stemming from long-running investigations into corruption within global football administration.