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ASIAN GETS ON BOARD OF UEFA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

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BY JAMES DIAMOND.

The chairman of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been elected to UEFA’s Executive Committee despite the French club being investigated by the body.

The 45-year-old Qatari, who is also chief executive of BeIN Media which holds exclusive television rights in the Middle East for football’s major European leagues and continental competitions, has been chosen to represent the European Club Association (ECA).

He will replace former Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, who is now at AC Milan, as one of two club representatives on UEFA’s 16-strong governing Board.

The other is ECA and Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli.

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Al-Khelaifi’s position on the Executive Committee has to be ratified next week by the UEFA Congress in Rome, at which point his appointment will become official.

“I am deeply honoured to have been elected by my fellow ECA Executive Board members to join the UEFA Executive Committee,” Al-Khelaifi said in a statement.

“I look forward to working alongside members of the UEFA Executive Committee to enhance and develop European football, whilst ensuring that the interests of all the clubs are represented in the decision making process.”

His election comes despite the fact the finances and spending of his club PSG are being investigated.

The probe began in September 2018 when the Ligue 1 champions were initially cleared of breaking financial fair play rules, although UEFA have since said they will review that decision.

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Al-Khelaifi himself has also been under investigation in the past.

In 2017 he was questioned by Swiss authorities in relation to a bribery investigation linked to BeIN Sports’ deal with FIFA for World Cup rights in 2026 and 2030.

He has always denied wrongdoing.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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