Pascal Ferré, a former journalist for France Football, the magazine responsible for organizing the Ballon d’Or until 2023, was allegedly bribed with gifts from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) between 2020 and 2021 to put pressure on the awarding of the Ballon d’Or. . Gold trophy for player Lionel Messi, according to a judicial investigation cited by the newspaper Le Monde.
The investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office has been ongoing since 2022 and is focused on cases relating to Paris Saint-Germain and President Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Authorities initially focused on the involvement of Jean-Marial Ribes, the Parisians’ former communications director. PSG will offer tickets for games and trips to Doha, with travel and hotels paid for by the Qatari state – the Parisians have been owned by a Qatari investment fund since 2011.
In addition to Ribes, charges were brought against French-Algerian lobbyist Tayeb Benabderrahmane and former anti-terrorism police agent now working for PSG, Malik Nait-Liman.
The published findings are based on internal PSG communications to which French police had access. When Messi was in France, he won the Ballon d’Or once, in 2021, when he left Barcelona for the French.
The Argentine won his last Ballon d’Or in 2023 at Inter Miami.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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