Paris: Paris Saint-Germain owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi is suing three media outlets over an article suggesting he requested an illegal payment be made to an agent involved in Javier Pastore’s transfer from Palermo in 2011.
Al-Khelaifi’s lawyers issued a statement Tuesday announcing the action against French online site Mediapart, British newspaper The Guardian and German daily Der Spiegel.
The outlets are accused of not allowing Al-Khelaifi a chance to reply fully to their questions by refusing to give him a copy of a letter at the source of the article.
Al-Khelaifi’s lawyers say they wrote to the three publications casting doubt on the authenticity of this letter, and asked to see it to prove the point.
According to Mediapart the letter is from Al-Khelaifi to the chief of staff to the emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani asking for two million euros (USD 224 million) for Pastore’s agent.
A further USD 200,000 was sought for a private company run by his brother.
AFP