LAUSANNE: Swiss prosecutors on Tuesday called for Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and former FIFA number two Jerome Valcke to face prison for alleged corruption in the allocation of World Cup TV rights.
The prosecution called for a 28-month sentence for Al-Khelaifi, who is also president of beIN Media, and three years for Valcke as their trial moved into its final days, the Swiss agency Keystone ATS reported.
This is the first time prison sentences have been requested in a European court in trials relating to the multiple scandals in world football, although former officials from the Americas have received jail sentences in the United States.
It will be the first judgment handed down in Switzerland, the seat of most international sports organizations, in the 20 or so proceedings opened in the last five years involving FIFA.
The Swiss Federal Criminal Court of Bellinzona has been trying Valcke on two charges related to his quest for money to maintain what Federal Prosecutor Joel Pahud called a “spendthrift” lifestyle.
Al-Khelaifi is included in the first charge. The public prosecutor’s office said Valcke sought the Qatari’s help in the summer of 2003 to buy a luxury villa in Sardinia, at a time when beIN, a Qatari-owned broadcaster, was negotiating the extension of its media rights in North Africa and the Middle East for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.
The prosecutor said Al-Khelaifi acquired the house for five million euros ($5.85 million), via a company that was transferred almost immediately to the brother of one of his close collaborators, before it was made available to Valcke.
The two men denied a “corrupt agreement” and said the deal was a “private” arrangement, unrelated to the contract concluded by beIN with FIFA in April 2014.
The defendants also argued the deal, which FIFA has never tried to undo, was “golden” and “sublime” since the $480 million dollars beIN paid for the two World Cups was 60% more than for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, when it faced no competition.
The prosecution said Valcke committed to “do what was in his power” to ensure beIN would win the contract and should have declared the Villa Bianca deal to his employers. They said he had been pressured by Al-Khaleifa to illegally damage FIFA’s interests.
Pahud also accused Al Khelaifi of “contempt for justice” because he did not cooperate with the investigation and denied buying the villa despite evidence of the purchase.
The defense argued that the trial was “muddied” by the revelation of informal meetings between former Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber and current FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Lauber resigned from his post in July and both men are under investigation for suspected collusion.
Al-Khelaifi’s lawyers have told AFP that the charges against their client are “clearly artificial.”
The Swiss prosecutors had to drop a charge of corruption because of an out-of-court settlement in January between Al Khelaifi and FIFA, which then withdrew its complaint against him.
Valcke also stands accused of exploiting his position at FIFA to influence the awarding of media rights for Italy and Greece for World Cups and other tournaments between 2018 and 2030 “to favor media partners that he preferred” in exchange for payments from Greek businessman Dinos Deris, who has also been charged.
Pahud said he accepts that the 59-year-old Frenchman has paid a heavy price over the past five years.
Valcke, a former journalist who lives in Barcelona, “has suffered professionally in recent years. He has not found a job after FIFA,” Pahud said.
Valcke told the court that he had been unable to open a bank account in Europe since 2017, had to sell his yacht and jewelry and had his Porsche Cayenne stolen.
He said that attempts to make a new start had been “polluted” by interventions from FIFA.
The defense will present their final arguments on Wednesday and Thursday.
Swiss prosecutors call for Al-Khelaifi, Valcke to face prison in beIN TV rights trial
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Swiss prosecutors call for Al-Khelaifi, Valcke to face prison in beIN TV rights trial
- The prosecution called for a 28-month sentence for Al-Khelaifi, and three years for Valcke as their trial moved into its final days
Turkiye confirms Swedish journalist arrested amid protests
- The jailing of Medin came just hours after the authorities released the last of 11 journalists arrested in dawn raids on Monday for covering the protests
Istanbul: A Swedish journalist who was detained on his arrival in Turkiye to cover protests over the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor has been arrested on terror-related charges and for “insulting the president,” the Turkish presidency said Sunday.
Joakim Medin, who works for the Dagens ETC newspaper, “has been arrested on charges of ‘membership in an armed terrorist organization’ and ‘insulting the president’,” the presidency said.
Medin was detained on Thursday when his plane landed in Turkiye, and sent to prison the next day.
In a bulletin published by its “Disinformation Combat Center,” the presidency said Medin was “known for anti-Turkiye news and his closeness to the terrorist organization PKK,” the banned Kurdish militant group.
“This arrest decision has no connection whatsoever to journalistic activities,” it added.
The jailing of Medin came just hours after the authorities released the last of 11 journalists arrested in dawn raids on Monday for covering the protests, among them AFP photographer Yasin Akgul.
Turkish authorities have also deported BBC journalist Mark Lowen, who had been covering the protests, after holding him for 17 hours on Wednesday, saying he posed “a threat to public order,” the broadcaster said.
Turkiye’s communications directorate said Lowen had been deported “due to a lack of accreditation.”
Turkish prosecutors had already opened an investigation into Medin in 2023 over a demonstration he joined in Stockholm in which a puppet of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hung from its feet, according to the presidency’s statement Sunday.
It said the Swedish journalist was among 15 suspects believed to have carried out, organized or publicized the demonstration.
The protest infuriated Turkish authorities, who alleged it was orchestrated by PKK members and summoned Sweden’s ambassador to Ankara.
Academy apologizes after stars say it ‘failed to defend’ Palestinian filmmaker
- Hamdan Ballal was assaulted this week by settlers and detained at gunpoint by soldiers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank
- “No Other Land” chronicles the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israeli troops and settlers in Masafer Yatta in the West Bank
LOS ANGELES: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apologized Friday for failing to defend an Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker who said he was attacked by Israeli settlers.
The group, which hosts and awards the Oscars each year, wrote to members after movie stars including Joaquin Phoenix, Penelope Cruz and Richard Gere had slammed its initially muted response to the incident.
The Academy “condemns violence of this kind anywhere in the world” and its leaders “abhor the suppression of free speech under any circumstances,” said the letter, seen by AFP.
Hamdan Ballal co-directed “No Other Land,” which won best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.
This week, he said he had been assaulted by settlers and detained at gunpoint by soldiers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Unlike multiple other prominent filmmaker groups, the US-based Academy initially did not issue a statement.
On Wednesday, it sent a letter to members that condemned “harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints,” without naming Ballal.
By Friday morning, more than 600 Academy members had signed their own statement in response.
“It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March, and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later,” the members said.
“We stand in condemnation of the brutal assault and unlawful detention of Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal by settlers and Israeli forces in the West Bank,” they wrote.
The Academy leadership’s response “fell far short of the sentiments this moment calls for,” said the members.
The Los Angeles-based group’s board convened an extraordinary meeting Friday to confront the deepening crisis, according to trade outlet Deadline.
Later Friday, it issued an apology to Ballal “and all artists who felt unsupported by our previous statement.”
“We regret that we failed to directly acknowledge Mr. Ballal and the film by name,” it wrote.
“No Other Land” chronicles the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israeli troops and settlers in Masafer Yatta — an area Israel declared a restricted military zone in the 1980s.
Despite winning the coveted Oscar, the film has struggled to find a major US distributor.
Following Monday’s incident, Ballal told AFP the “brutality” of the attack “made me feel it was because I won the Oscar.”
During his detention at an Israeli military center, Ballal said he noticed soldiers mentioning his name alongside the word “Oscar” during shift changes.
He was released Tuesday, after being detained the previous day for allegedly “hurling rocks.”
Yuval Abraham, who also co-directed and appears in the documentary, has spoken out against the Academy’s response.
“After our criticism, the academy’s leaders sent out this email to members explaining their silence on Hamdan’s assault: they need to respect ‘unique viewpoints’,” he wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of the Academy’s letter.
Related
Warner Bros. Discovery investment in OSN Streaming signals broader industry shift, says CEO
- Middle East ‘no longer a peripheral market’ — Joe Kawkabani
DUBAI: Warner Bros. Discovery this week announced a minority investment in OSN Streaming in a move that “reinforces its commitment to the region’s rapidly growing streaming landscape.”
The deal is reportedly valued at $57 million for a third of OSN Streaming. It will take place in phases and is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals.
Joe Kawkabani, OSN’s group CEO, said the deal “signals a broader shift in the industry” as global players recognize “that substantial growth in the Middle East and North Africa region requires more than just exporting content.”
He told Arab News: “It’s about investing in local platforms, collaborating with regional talent, and tailoring content specifically to the market. That’s precisely what we’re doing here, and I believe it sets a new standard for successful partnerships in the region.”
Warner Bros. Discovery opened its first office in the region in Dubai in 2012. The investment reflects its “prioritization of working with the best creative talent, advancing technologies and forging key partnerships to fuel continued growth.”
It also serves as an opportunity for the company to “deepen their regional presence through a trusted platform that truly understands the market's nuances,” Kawkabani said.
The two companies have had a long-standing history, with OSN being the exclusive home for HBO content in the region. Just last year, OSN acquired the rights to all first-run Max Originals and the full Warner Bros. Pictures feature film library as part of a multi-year deal.
Jamie Cooke, executive vice president and managing director for Central Europe, Turkey and Middle East, at Warner Bros. Discovery said this was a “natural step” for the company, as “OSN has been a great partner and custodian of our content.”
He added: “We recognize that alongside enjoying the latest global hits, regional audiences also want stories from and about the region that reflect their own cultures and experiences.”
Kawkabani highlighted the importance of the MENA market on the global map.
He said: “It is no longer a peripheral market — it’s becoming central to the future of streaming. Our role is to drive this transformation from within the region, not just import it from the outside.”
Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key player in the region’s media and entertainment industry. In 2018, the Kingdom announced it would invest $64 billion in its entertainment sector over the coming decade. Since then, it has implemented several initiatives and investments to bolster these sectors.
Most recently, in January, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority unveiled 29 investment opportunities aimed at expanding the entertainment landscape while fostering private sector participation and aligning with Vision 2030 objectives.
Saudi Arabia is “one of the most exciting and dynamic entertainment markets in the world right now” and the deal “aligns seamlessly with Saudi Arabia’s broader vision for its entertainment sector — one that prioritizes creativity, local talent, and global collaboration,” said Kawkabani.
“We view Saudi Arabia not just as a key market but as a creative hub that can lead the region forward,” he added.
Going forward, the deal will see the two companies invest in “high-quality, locally produced content, ensuring a richer and more diverse offering for viewers,” according to Cooke.
For OSN, Kawkabani said it wasn’t just about content licensing or capital, but rather about “two companies aligning on a vision to sustainably grow the regional streaming market in a way that resonates locally.”
He added: “We’re not here to follow trends; we’re here to shape them.”
Majority of listeners tune in to Spotify during Ramadan’s pre-dawn hours
- Spiritual, peaceful and relaxing audio is the most popular choice during Ramadan, with listenership of such playlists increasing by more than 3,000 percent in the first two weeks.
DUBAI: Streaming and content consumption habits change as audiences adjust to different routines during Ramadan, according to new data from Spotify.
This year saw a return of the streaming platform’s Ramadan Hub, with a specially curated selection of playlists, music and podcasts.
Based on an analysis of customers’ streaming habits during the first two weeks of Ramadan, Spotify found the majority of Saudi listeners tune in at around 3 a.m. Spiritual, peaceful and relaxing audio is the most popular choice, with listenership of such playlists increasing by more than 3,000 percent.
“With the Ramadan Hub, Spotify continues to be a companion for every moment of the holy month,” Mark Abou Jaoude, the platform’s head of music for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan told Arab News.
The playlist with the highest increase in listeners (3,750 percent) was “Duaa,” which features prayers and supplications. Similarly, “Ramadaniyat,” which features traditional Islamic songs, saw a streaming rise of almost 1,890 percent.
Users’ love of TV dramas is reflected in their streaming habits with the “Titrat Ramadan” playlist recording a 2,900 percent increase in streams. This features songs that appear in popular shows at this time, known as “titrat” and traditionally sung by Arab pop stars.
Another playlist gaining popularity is “Cooking Time,” which saw the number of streams increase by 743 percent. This serves as a cooking companion and features songs such as Nancy Ajram’s “Aam Betaala’ Feek,” Marwan Khoury’s “Kel El Qasayed” and Amr Diab’s “El Kalam Leek.”
“Over the past two years, local podcast listening hours have increased by nearly 90 percent (on Spotify),” Abou Jaoude said.
Spotify has also seen significant increases in the popularity of local podcasts such as “Finjan with Abdul Rahman Abu Maleh” and “Sawalif Business.” Users are also listening to lighter entertainment content, such as “Kanabat al-Sabt,” “Saturday Couch” and the “Abjoorah Podcast,” as well as religious shows like the “Omam Podcast,” which puts a modern spin on the stories of prophets.
“These shifting listening habits reflect the growing trend of audio in setting the atmosphere for these shared experiences during the month,” said Abou Jade.
“It’s great to see how our Saudi listeners use Spotify to enrich their Ramadan journey and deepen their connections during this meaningful time.”
‘No Other Land’ co-director criticizes Oscars organizers for response to Hamdan Ballal assault
- Yuval Abraham accuses academy of failing to directly acknowledge incident, mention Ballal by name
- In a letter, the academy said that while it ‘condemns harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints,’ it does not publicly comment on ‘social, political, and economic events’
LONDON: “No Other Land” co-director Yuval Abraham has condemned the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its response to the violent attack on his Palestinian co-director, Hamdan Ballal.
The Israeli filmmaker and journalist accused the academy of failing to directly acknowledge the incident, noting that its statement did not mention Ballal by name.
This marks the second time this week that Abraham has publicly criticized the academy. Earlier, he denounced the institution for remaining silent on the attack, in which Israeli settlers assaulted Ballal before he was detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Monday.
“After our criticism, the academy’s leaders sent out this email to members explaining their silence on Hamdan’s assault: they need to respect ‘unique viewpoints,’” Abraham wrote on X.
The academy’s letter stated that while it “condemns harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints,” it does not publicly comment on “social, political, and economic events” despite frequent requests to do so. “In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints,” the statement read.
Abraham pointed out the contrast between this response and the academy’s past actions, specifically its strong condemnation of Iran’s detention of filmmakers such as Jafar Panahi in 2011. “Compare this,” he wrote, “which didn’t even name Hamdan, to the Academy’s rightfully strong position when it’s the Iranian government oppressing filmmakers.”
The academy has yet to issue a further response.
Ballal, one of the documentary’s four directors — two Israeli and two Palestinian — was released from Israeli detention on Tuesday.
In an interview with The Guardian, he described his ordeal, saying, “I thought I was going to die” when Israeli soldiers aided the settlers who attacked him outside his home in Susya, a village in the Masafer Yatta area of the West Bank.
He also claimed he was beaten while in detention, calling the assault “revenge for our movie.”
The global film community swiftly condemned the attack and arrest. The US-based International Documentary Association posted a message on Instagram demanding Ballal’s immediate release. The Berlin Film Festival, where “No Other Land” had its premiere and won the award for best documentary last year, called the incident “very distressing.”
