The French justice investigation into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar promises to be sprawling. In November 2019, after three years of preliminary investigation, the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) opened a judicial inquiry and the file was entrusted to two investigating judges, Marc Sommerer and Bénédicte de Perthuis, as revealed Mediapart.
Sunday, June 7, the news site wrote: "Investigations are now starting to converge on Nicolas Sarkozy himself", explaining that the former President of the Republic would have "Personally benefited in his private affairs from the support of the State of Qatar" and "Won contracts with two major French bosses (Sébastien Bazin, ex-manager in Europe of the Colony Capital investment fund and current Chairman and CEO of Accor, and Arnaud Lagardère), themselves suspected of having benefited from the mobilization of the French presidency in favor of the awarding of the World Cup in Doha ".
If French justice focuses on a lunch organized at the Elysée Palace, on November 23, 2010, in the presence in particular of Mr. Sarkozy, the emir of Qatar, Tamim Al Thani, and the former president of the Union of the European football associations (UEFA), Michel Platini – who admitted having voted in favor of the gas state during the 2022 World Cup attribution ballot – the PNF also looked into other elements.
According to our information, French investigators are interested in a contract sealed in 2010 between the Qatari chain Al-Jazeera (now BeIN Sports) and the International Football Federation (FIFA). The PNF obtained this document in 2019, after the British newspaper The Sunday Times gave details of this agreement.
Signed on November 11, 2010 by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, current boss of BeIN Sports and Paris-Saint-Germain (PSG), the contract guaranteed the granting to Al-Jazeera of television rights for the 2018 and 2022 Worlds against 300 million dollars (266 million euros).
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The special bonus clause
The same contract was accompanied by a special clause under which Al-Jazeera would pay FIFA a bonus of 100 million dollars (88.5 million euros) in the event of Qatar's victory in the award vote. World Cup 2022. Nine days after the triumph of the emirate at the polls, the contract was initialed by the management of FIFA.
For the former president of the International Federation, the Swiss Sepp Blatter (from 1998 to 2015), this contract constitutes "A common and logical business practice". "The value of a television contract for any country increases dramatically as soon as that country is a candidate for the World Cup, he develops. This added value is part of the contract but only applies in the event of obtaining the World Cup. "
Contacted, the English lawyers of BeIN Sports explain, in a long letter sent to World, that this clause "Then fully reflected, and reflects standard business practices" : "The sum contributed to FIFA's production costs for the 2022 World Cup and reflected, on the one hand, the high cost for FIFA in the region and, on the other hand, the increased value of the rights of the broadcaster if the competition was to take place on its territory. It also reflects the considerable additional technical and production costs to which FIFA was exposed in the region where an event occurs. "
Channel boards write that such "Increase in value" is observed "When a world tournament didn’t (…) never before been hosted in a particular country or region, as is the case with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. "
The lawyers of BeIN Sports recall that the chains Fox Sports and Telemundo have set up a bonus of 302 million dollars, paid to FIFA in the event of victory of the United States, Canada and Mexico during the vote of attribution of the 2026 World Cup (won by the three countries in 2018).
"This has nothing to do with ethics regulations"
The ethical rules of the world body state that a company directly linked to the candidate country for the organization of a World Cup cannot make financial offers to FIFA in direct or indirect connection with the attribution of the tournament. Since its creation by ex-emir Hamad Al Thani in 1996, Al-Jazeera has been partly funded by the State of Qatar.
"This contract is in no way linked to FIFA's decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar nor does it represent a violation of FIFA's code of ethics", assure the lawyers of BeIN Sports. "This has nothing to do with ethics regulations", Agrees Mr. Blatter. Questioned on this point, FIFA did not follow up.
"This contract was the result of a long negotiation process with FIFA and was based on standard terms established by FIFA which also apply to other broadcasters in other territories, add lawyers for BeIN Sports. Any suggestion that the contract itself somehow illustrated illegitimate intentions on the part of Qatar to influence FIFA via Al-Jazeera would therefore be manifestly absurd. "
The bonus paid to the members of the FIFA Executive Committee
This contract intrigues PNF investigators insofar as the FIFA management decided to pay, at the end of 2010, a bonus of 200,000 dollars (around 177,000 euros) to the twenty or so voting members of the FIFA executive committee.
According to several FIFA officials at the time, the Federation justified this bonus by the "Financial success" of the World Cup organized that year in South Africa. In 2010 FIFA generated revenues of $ 1.3 billion.
"You should know that, as early as 2002, FIFA decided to treat its financial affairs according to the IFRS principle (International Financial Reporting Standards), as for a listed company. Therefore, it was decided to give executive members a bonus every year, and a little more in the years of the World Cup ”, details Sepp Blatter, who admitted having "Received a bonus of 10 million Swiss francs (9.22 million euros) " due "The success of the 2010 World Cup".
Questioned also about this bonus, FIFA did not respond.
