Qatari businessman and sports executive
Nasser bin Ghanim Al-Khelaifi (Arabic: ناصر بن
غانم الخليفي; born 12 November 1973) is a Qatari businessman, sports executive, and
former tennis player. He is the chairman of beIN Media Group and Qatar Sports
Investments,[1][2] president of Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and the Qatar Tennis
Federation, and vice president of the Asian Tennis Federation for West
Asia.[3][4]
Al-Khelaifi is also a member of the organizing committee for the FIFA Club
World Cup,[5] and has been elected as the chairman of the European Club Association
(ECA).
Early life and education [ edit ]
Al-Khelaifi was born in Qatar, a son of a
pearl fisherman,[6] and graduated with an Economics Degree from Qatar University. He
also has a post graduate degree in Maritime Studies from University of Piraeus.
Tennis
career [ edit ]
Playing career [ edit ]
As a tennis professional, Al-Khelaifi was the
second most successful member of the Qatar Davis Cup team after Sultan Khalfan, playing
43 times between 1992 and 2002 and compiling a 12–31 record in singles, 12–16 in
doubles. Al-Khelaifi appeared twice on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)
main tour, losing each time in his first round matches in St. Pölten in 1996 (where he
lost to former French Open Champion Thomas Muster) and in Doha in 2002. He reached a
career-high singles ranking of No. 995 in late 2002.[7][8] He also won the GCC Team
Tournament.
Post-playing career [ edit ]
Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been president of the
Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) since November 2008. In 2011, he was elected
vice-president of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) for West Asia.[9]
Business career [
edit ]
Qatar Sports Investments [ edit ]
Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been chairman of Qatar
Sports Investments (QSi) from June 2011. QSi is a sovereign wealth fund dedicated to
investments in the sport and leisure industry on a national and international
level.[1]
Following the QSi acquisition of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) football club in
June 2011,[10] Nasser Al-Khelaifi became the chairman of the board of PSG and also CEO
of the club,[11] reinforcing Qatari interest in French football.
QSi has several other
high-profile partnerships. QSi also owns the Burrda sportswear brand.[12]
Paris
Saint-Germain [ edit ]
Nasser Al-Khelaifi became the new president and chief executive
officer of Paris Saint-Germain on 7 October 2011.[13] Shortly after being named
president, he presented a five-year plan to take Paris Saint-Germain to the top of the
tree in France and abroad.[14] As part of the long-term plan for the club, Al-Khelaifi
brought in former footballer Leonardo as the new director of football.[15]
Although
Al-Khelaifi initially demanded a major trophy haul for the 2011–12 season, PSG were
soon eliminated from the UEFA Europa League and both domestic cups, leaving the team
only able to spendR$130 million on players. PSG failed to dominate, and lost out to
eventual winners Montpellier, though they qualified for the UEFA Champions League by
finishing second.[16]
Zlatan Ibrahimović unveiled by Paris Saint-Germain sporting
director Leonardo (right) and President Nasser Al-Khelaifi (left)
In the 2012–13
season, PSG won the Ligue 1 title and also made it to the quarter-finals of the UEFA
Champions League, partly thanks to the goalscoring of newly signed striker Zlatan
Ibrahimović. They eventually lost in a two-legged tie to FC Barcelona on away goals.
In
the 2013–14 season, PSG again finished top of Ligue 1 with a record total of 89
points.[17] They reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League where they
lost to Chelsea 3–3 on aggregate, again going out only on the away goals rule.
Nasser
Al-Khelaifi (left) with Neymar in August 2024 in the Parc des Princes
In the 2024–19
UEFA Champions League knockout phase, they lost to Manchester United at home after
leading with two goals at Old Trafford in the first leg. PSG lost at home 1–3 (3–3 on
aggregate) and were knocked out by the away-goal rule.
In June 2012, QSi acquired the
Paris Handball Club and merged it with the PSG sport franchise to create a wider and
more competitive sport offer to the city of Paris.[18] Since 2012, Paris Saint-Germain
Handball has won the LNH Division 1 five times, while reaching the EHF Champions League
final in 2024–17 and the semi-finals in 2024–16 and 2024–18.
BEIN Media Group [ edit
]
On 31 December 2013, Al Jazeera Sport's global operations were spun out of Al Jazeera
Media Network (AJMN) and rebranded as beIN Sports.[19] A few months later, beIN Media
Group was incorporated and became the official owner of beIN Sports branded networks as
well as all other non-news and current affairs assets originally belonging to AJMN.[2]
beIN Sports has 22 channels, including 17 HD channels, and broadcasts across the Middle
East, North Africa, Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia. The strategy, aside
from building the beIN premium sports network, is to develop the group's ambitions in
sports and entertainment in production, distribution, and digital media
sectors.[promotion?]
In October 2024, the Swiss courts opened an investigation against
him for suspicion of private corruption in the allocation of television rights for the
World Cups 2026 and 2030 for the Middle East and North Africa international media
market.[20] On 30 October 2024, Nasser Al-Khelaifi was cleared of the case over the
awarding of television rights for the World Cup. Al-Khelaifi had been accused of
aggravated criminal mismanagement for his alleged part in a corruption trial involving
former FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke. However, Valcke was found guilty of
forging documents related to television rights for the World Cup and was fined 24,000
Swiss francs ($26,500). According to the Swiss attorney general’s office, it was
alleged that Valcke exploited his FIFA role between 2013 and 2024 to favour media
partners that he preferred by providing the media rights for various World Cup and
Confederations Cup tournaments.[21]
Political career [ edit ]
In November 2013,
Al-Khelaifi was made minister without portfolio in the Qatari government by the Emir of
Qatar, Sheikh Tamim.[22]
Legal proceedings [ edit ]
Al-Khelaifi had been charged with
corruption in May 2024 after being accused of attempting to buy the rights to host the
2024 World Athletics Championships for Doha.[23]
Al-Khelaifi was charged by Swiss
federal prosecutors in connection with a wider bribery investigation linked to World
Cup television rights in February 2024. However, Khelaifi stated that he has been
cleared of all suspicions of bribery and the case has been dismissed definitively and
conclusively. [24]
On 9 March 2024, after Paris Saint-Germain's 1–3 away loss (2–3
aggregate score) to Real Madrid in the 2024–22 UEFA Champions League round of 16,
Al-Khelaifi allegedly assaulted a linesman and broke his flag and threatened a Madrid
employee with murder.[25][26][27] Following investigation, UEFA cleared Al-Khelaifi of
all charges related to the match.[28][29]
Three investigating judges from the Paris
court have been appointed in February 2024 to investigate the accusations of
kidnapping, sequestration and torture of a Franco-Algerian lobbyist, Tayeb
Benabderrahmane, which targeted Al-Khelaïfi.[30] And the former lawyer of the lobbyist,
Olivier Pardo, stated that the lobbyist stole personal recordings of Al-Khelaïfi, of
attempting to blackmail Al-Khelaifi for “several tens of millions of euros”.
[31]
Awards and honors [ edit ]
In February 2012, he won a French 'Sport Business'
award, receiving the most votes out of 1,500 and finishing ahead of nine
people.[32]
His growing influence in the sport was recognised in 2024 when he was voted
'favourite Ligue 1 president' in a poll conducted by France Football, with 35% of the
votes cast.
In 2024, the French daily sport newspaper L'Équipe named him the 'most
powerful man in French football' in a 30-man list, ahead of such notable individuals as
Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane.[33][34]
In 2024, he was elected by the European
Club Association as delegate at the UEFA executive committee, becoming the first Arab
to hold an UEFA position.[35]
In 2024, he was named the most influential person in
football by France Football.[36]
In March 2024, Al-Khelaifi was praised by World Health
Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus after offering to help in the
global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by using his players and club to send health
advice messages to the public.[37]
Personal life [ edit ]
He is close to the Emir,
Sheikh Tamim, head of sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority.
He is married,
and has four children who reside in Qatar.[38]
