PSG’s Qatari owner accused of misusing government connections for payments to Pastore agent

LONDON: Paris Saint-Germain’s president has been accused of misusing his connection with Qatar’s government to bring Argentine Javier Pastore to the Parisian club in 2011, according to a report in the UK’s Guardian newspaper.
The Parisian club’s chief executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi allegedly sought help from the Qatari leadership to pay €2 million ($2.25 million) to the player’s agent Marcelo Simonian during transfer proceedings.
According to an email in a large tranche of documents seen by the Guardian and France’s Mediapart, Al-Khelaifi asked the Emir of Qatar to pay the sum to ensure the player’s transfer to the current French champions would go through.
The documents also allege that Al-Khelaifi gave false information to a French judge, Renaud Van Ruymbeke, during the transfer of Pastore from Italian club Palermo to PSG for €40 million in the summer of 2011.
PSG’s Qatari chief is also accused of paying €200,000 to Qatar-based company Oryx QSI, a private company run by his brother.
The alleged actions break FIFA rules — article 7 of its regulations for intermediaries — which stipulate that it is forbidden for club owners to personally make payments to agents.
Meanwhile, the French Football Federation (FFF) told the Guardian and website Mediapart that such a payment would also “violate its regulations.”
The Guardian report said the letter in question from Al-Khelaifi apparently shows instructions for payments to be made to the “agent in charge of the player Javier Pastore and expenses of the company Oryx QSI” and is addressed to “His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Thani, chief of staff of His Highness the Crown Prince,” a reference to the current emir of Qatar before he was head of state.