Former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas joined the Argentinian club Newell's Old Boys on a free transfer on Wednesday. The 38-year-old Costa Rican, who recently retired from international soccer, won three Champions League titles with Real but has not played since the end of his stint in Paris last May. “Thank God we are returning to the pitch," Navas said on his social media accounts. "I feel ready, willing and very happy to take this new challenge.” Mainz signs US midfielder Lennard Maloney from Bundesliga rival Heidenheim Newell's, Lionel Messi's boyhood club, is based in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northeast of Buenos Aires. Newell's called Navas “an international legend” on social media. He has played in the last three World Cups for his country. The length of his deal with Newell's has not been disclosed.

Ousmane Dembélé scored a stoppage-time winner as Paris Saint-Germain beat Monaco 1-0 to win the Champions Trophy on Sunday. The France winger was unmarked at the back post to meet a low cross from the left by Fabian Ruiz in the second minute of added time. PSG won the trophy, also known as the French Super Cup, for the third straight time and a record-extending 13th overall. PSG won the league and cup double last season, with Monaco finishing second in the league. “The result reflects our domination,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said, while Monaco coach Adi Hütter conceded PSG played better. “A goal in the last minute always feels like a knife in the back,” Hütter said. “PSG deserved to win if we're being honest, they had more chances.” The match took place at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, with PSG owned by Qatar-based QSI since 2011. Désiré Doué hit the crossbar early on for PSG and Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn made several saves. Monaco improved after the break and hit the post through Eliesse Ben Seghir and Brazilian defender Vanderson. Although Köhn made a fine save to deny Achraf Hakimi in the 74th minute, he failed to properly read Ruiz's cross and Monaco missed out on winning the trophy for the first time since 2000. Marseille marches on Marseille strengthened its grip on second place in the French league, moving three points ahead of third-place Monaco after routing Le Havre 5-1 at home. Read: Jiménez scores twice as Fulham secures a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Ghana's Andre Ayew was on the wing for Le Havre against his former club. He scored 60 goals in 209 games for Marseille from 2007-15 and won two League Cups. His brother, Jordan Ayew, and his father — Abedi Pele — both played for the club. Marseille opened the scoring against 17th-place Le Havre in the 25th minute when midfielder Valentin Rongier drilled a low shot into the left corner from 20 meters out. Rongier's rare strike was followed by a first league goal for midfielder Bilal Nadir, who turned neatly before arrowing a shot in off the left post in the 39th. It was a special moment for Nadir, who ruptured his left ACL one year ago and was given a new contract by the club as a show of faith. Moments before halftime, striker Neal Maupay headed in from close range and Mason Greenwood broke down the right to set up substitute Elye Wahi midway through the second half. Ulisses Garcia added the fifth goal for coach Roberto De Zerbi's side. Home fans at Stade Velodrome chanted Ayew's name after he headed in a consolation goal in the 85th. Ayew applauded the fans back when he went off moments later. PSG is seven points ahead of Marseille after 16 rounds. Toulouse climbed up to eighth place with a 1-0 win at seventh-place Lens, which leads Toulouse on goal difference. Read more: BPL Football: Mohammedan maintain all-win run Striker Zakaria Aboukhlal scored a penalty in the 73rd. The goal came shortly after Lens midfielder David Pereira da Costa was shown a second yellow card following a video review and was sent off. Angers beat Brest 2-0, and Strasbourg rallied to win 3-1 at home to Auxerre and move into 10th spot. Esteban Lepaul scored early on for Angers and fellow striker Ibrahima Niane, who replaced Lepaul in the 75th, wrapped up the win in stoppage time. Strasbourg's goals came from captain Habib Diarra, Félix Lemarechal and forward Emanuel Emegha, after Hamed Traore gave Burgundy side Auxerre an early lead in Alsace.

Kylian Mbappe secures fourth consecutive Ligue 1 Player of the Season Award as PSG clinches record 11th title. With that award he became the only player to achieve it for four consecutive times. Previously Zlatan Ibrahimovic won three times in a row. Mbappe’s Record in 22/23 Season at Ligue 1 Kylian Mbappe, the renowned Paris Saint-Germain star, achieved a remarkable feat in Ligue 1 on Sunday night. He secured his fourth consecutive title as the French League Player of the Season. The 24-year-old prolific striker has not only netted 28 goals in the league but has also claimed the title of the top goal scorer in Ligue 1 for a remarkable five consecutive times. This season he also assisted five goals. 31st Edition of the Trophées UNFP Ceremony The ceremony took place in Paris, graced by the presence of numerous players. Mbappe became the winner, surpassing contenders such as Lionel Messi, Loïs Openda, Séko Fofana of Lens, and Jonathan David, the forward from Lille. Mbappe, along with his teammate Nuno Mendes, who received the Young Player of the Year award, became the sole PSG representative to claim individual awards. Notably, Lionel Messi, and Gianluigi Donnarumma, did not secure the awards for the categories they were nominated in. However, Messi did not attend the ceremony as he went to Barcelona to watch the Coldplay concert. Read more: Indonesia to Host Argentina In a Friendly Football Match on June 2023 By securing this award, Mbappe has now claimed the prestigious title of Ligue 1 Player of the Year for the fourth consecutive time. This remarkable achievement surpasses Zlatan Ibrahimovic's record of three awards, which he also earned during his time at PSG. Continuing an extraordinary streak, Paris Saint-Germain has once again produced the Player of the Year, marking the seventh consecutive year of their dominance. This outstanding line includes notable players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2016), Edinson Cavani (2017), Neymar Jr (2018), and Kylian Mbappe (2019, 2021, and 2022). Having been named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons (2017, 2018, 2019), Mbappe continued his dominance by capturing the coveted Player of the Year award for the subsequent four seasons, extending his winning streak to a remarkable eight trophies in a row, until 2023. Will Mbappe Stay with PSG? Based on reports, unless the 24-year-old exercises an option to extend his contract until 2025, his contract with PSG is set to expire next year. Amidst swirling rumors about the French star's potential departure from the club next year, he personally confirmed and reassured fans of his commitment to stay with PSG for the upcoming season. Nevertheless, Mbappe's exceptional talent has garnered interest from Real Madrid. So, we will have to wait one more season to see if Mbappe continues playing with PSG. Read more: BAN vs AFG Series 2023: Fixtures, Schedules, Teams, Head-to-Head Records Final Words This outstanding achievement sets his status as one of the league's brightest stars and highlights his dominance on the football field. With each passing season, Mbappe continues to elevate his game, fascinating fans with his remarkable skills and goal-scoring ability. As he adds another award to his growing list of achievements, the football world eagerly awaits to witness the next chapter in Kylian Mbappe's illustrious career.

Lionel Messi was suspended by Paris Saint-Germain for taking a trip to Saudi Arabia without the club’s permission, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person would not specify the length of the suspension, though French media reported it to be two weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter. A two-week suspension would mean Messi would miss PSG’s next two games. L’Equipe and RMC Sport both reported the suspension without citing sources. Also read: Mbappé can't save slumping PSG in CL loss to Bayern Munich The person told the AP that the World Cup champion won’t be allowed to train or play with the team and won’t be paid during his suspension. PSG had denied Messi’s request to make the trip, the person said. The 35-year-old Messi has a commercial contract with Saudi Arabia to promote tourism in the Middle Eastern country. The suspension comes at a delicate time as the French club had hoped to extend the Argentine star’s contract beyond this season. Messi’s trip followed PSG’s surprise 3-1 loss to Lorient on Sunday, leaving the defending champions with a five-point lead over Marseille with five games left in the season. Messi played the full game. L’Equipe had reported that PSG coach Christophe Galtier pledged to give his players two days off — Monday and Tuesday — if they beat Lorient. Instead, the team trained on Monday and had Tuesday off. The forward joined PSG from Barcelona two years ago on hopes he could lead the team to an elusive Champions League title. Instead, the Qatari-backed club was eliminated in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons. The has been speculation about where he would play next, especially after reports that contract talks with PSG had broken down. Some PSG fans have even booed Messi amid the team’s inconsistent campaign. Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title in December. He’s scored 15 league goals and leads the French league with 15 assists. Messi hasn’t commented publicly about the suspension on his social media accounts.  

Not even Kylian Mbappé's substitute appearance could end Paris Saint-Germain's slump, as it lost 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the first leg of their round-of-16 Champions League clash. A third straight loss made it five defeats in 11 games this year for PSG coach Christophe Galtier's team. Bayern winger Kingsley Coman volleyed home inside the penalty area from Alphonso Davies’ left-wing cross in the 53rd minute. The Paris-raised Coman, who PSG sold to Juventus when he was 18, held his hands up to show he wasn't celebrating scoring against his former club — again. “It’s the city where I was born and raised so it was difficult to celebrate here,” Coman said. “Given our performance we could have done more, but at the end it was a bit difficult so we’re satisfied with the win.” When Bayern won the last of its six Champions League titles in 2020, it beat PSG 1-0 with Coman heading home the winner. The World Cup superstar Mbappé made an unexpectedly quick recovery from injury and had two would-be goals disallowed for offside after coming on in the second half. “It was difficult, unpredictable. I wasn’t supposed to play but I wanted to play and help my mates. We did everything, we worked night and day to get me some game time,” Mbappé said. “I wanted to (start the game). But sometimes you have to be satisfied with what you can do, and that’s all I could do." The return leg is on March 8. PSG was eliminated by Real Madrid in the last 16 last season and may need Mbappé at this best to avoid another early exit. “When we have our players ready and we can play our attacking game, they (Bayern) are not comfortable,” Mbappé said. “We have to retain how we finished the game. We saw that we can cause them problems.” Mbappé showed no ill effects of the thigh tear he sustained two weeks ago. He had a shot saved by Yann Sommer in the 73rd after racing through down the left. Sommer saved Neymar’s follow-up and the ball fell to Mbappé near the line, but he was well offside. Mbappé peeled away in delight after volleying Nuno Mendes’ cross from close range with 10 minutes left, but it was chalked off following a quick video review. “That’s the new soccer, there’s VAR. If it’s offside, it’s offside, you just have to switch quickly,” Mbappé said. “The important thing is to go over there and qualify, and from what I saw that's possible.” Bayern’s defense held firm under some late pressure, although defender Benjamin Pavard received a second yellow card was sent off for a late tackle on Lionel Messi in stoppage time. Bayern immediately generated pressure from the start against a nervous-looking PSG by closing down high up the field. PSG hadn’t lost three straight games since late 2011, which was only months into the new reign of Qatari owners QSI. “Bayern really got on top of us and we struggled to hold the ball high up the pitch. The first half was very difficult for us,” Galtier said. “I knew we could use Kylian in the second half, but unfortunately we conceded this goal just before I was going to bring him on.” The dominance of Julian Nagelsmann’s team in midfield was so complete that it forced Messi to drop deep to get the ball, and Neymar was anonymous for most of the match. “We were a bit surprised by how much of the ball we had. We didn’t expect Paris to be so passive; it was a good first half,” Nagelsmann said. "The two times they really threatened it was offside.” Midway through the first half, Neymar lay face-first on the field after a shoulder barge from a defender. English referee Michael Oliver waved play on and Sommer — although nearby — didn’t check on Neymar, who at the 2018 World Cup in Russia earned an unwelcome reputation for diving and play-acting. Bayern’s possession didn’t lead to clear chances, however, and midfielder Joshua Kimmich’s 20-meter drive was easily captured by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43rd. Nagelsmann showed shrewd tactical sense by bringing on Davies and switching Coman from the left to the right flank with seamless efficiency. Bayern came close to 2-0 when former PSG striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had a shot tipped onto the post by Donnarumma. PSG midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery became the youngest player to start a Champions League knockout match at the age of 16 years, 343 days.

Paris Saint-Germain needed two late goals to scrape a 3-1 win at third-tier Châteauroux in the French Cup round of 64 Friday. PSG coach Christophe Galtier rested star forwards Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi yet still started with seven international players against a side sitting in a lowly 14th place in the third division. PSG have won the cup a record 14 times but were knocked out in the round of 16 last season. With no extra time in the early rounds, Châteauroux were getting on top of the game and a penalty shootout loomed. But PSG midfielder Carlos Soler pounced from close range in the 78th minute and left-back Juan Bernat ensured victory with a neat finish in stoppage time. Also Read: Man United beats Everton 3-1 to advance in FA Cup Galtier hinted at some complacency within his team. "Imagine if we hadn't qualified. At one stage our team was split in half and that gave them confidence," Galtier said. "Did we think things would be easy once we took the lead? Perhaps." Galtier picked three teenagers: 16-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery started in midfield alongside 18-year-old Ismaël Gharbi, with 17-year-old El Chadaille Bitshiabu in central defence. The match started well enough for PSG when Gharbi threaded a neat pass for striker Hugo Ekitiké to score in the 13th. But poor defending gifted Châteauroux an equaliser in the 37th, when veteran forward Nolan Roux's cross from the left caused panic and Bitshiabu deflected the loose ball past goalkeeper Keylor Navas. Roux nearly scored moments later with a speculative shot just past the post, with Navas stranded.  

French league leader Paris Saint-Germain crumbled under pressure to lose 3-1 at Lens for its first defeat of the season on Sunday as second-place Lens cut the gap to four points and maintained its perfect home record. PSG's weakness against the counterattack was ruthlessly exposed by Lens. The northern side scored at the start of each half and dominated the midfield battle against a rattled PSG to make it nine straight home victories for coach Franck Haise's side. Lens has the league's best defense with 11 goals allowed in 17 matches, compared to 13 for PSG. Frustrated PSG coach Christophe Galtier was alarmed by the performance, saying his players did not stick to the game plan. “I struggled to recognize my team. We lacked solidarity and we got wiped out the more the game went on, leaving them far too much room,” he said. “In fact, we did the opposite of what we should have. We struggled against Lens' pressing, we should have played more long passes to make them defend deeper. Athletically, we were dominated.” Read more: Tchouaméni shows at World Cup why Mbappé wanted him at PSG Haise, meanwhile, celebrated his 100th game in charge by grabbing a microphone and singing a club anthem with the jubilant fans. Closely knit with its supporters, Lens has strong working-class roots from its history as a mining community and is known as Les Sang et Or (The Blood and Gold) for its yellow jersey and red shorts. Lens won its only league title in 1998 and was a close runner-up to Lyon in 2002. The first goal came in the fifth minute. Lens used its strong pressing game to win the ball and moved it wide left to Florian Sotoca, whose goal-bound cross was palmed away by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma only for winger Przemyslaw Frankowski to volley home. The lead was short-lived as forward Hugo Ekitiké, given a rare start in the absence of Neymar and Lionel Messi, scored from close range three minutes later after Lens failed to deal with a cross from the right. PSG was without Neymar, through suspension, and World Cup winner Messi, who is returning to training after an extended stay back home in Argentina. “They are two great players who make the difference but that is not an excuse,” PSG captain Marquinhos said. “We lacked cohesion, efficiency and intensity.” PSG's weakness against rapid attacks was exposed when midfielder Seko Fofana won the ball near his own penalty area and threaded a 40-meter pass to Loïs Openda. He expertly cut inside defender Marquinhos before slipping the ball under Donnarumma. PSG conceded just two minutes into the second half as midfielder Fabien Ruiz lost the ball, Openda back-heeled it to forward Alexis Claude-Maurice and he slotted past Donnarumma. PSG star Kylian Mbappé was kept quiet, with the league's 13-goal top scorer mustering only a speculative shot in the 60th. Galtier's decision to play Mbappé and Morocco right back Achraf Hakimi this week in back-to-back games so soon after the World Cup appeared to backfire as both looked jaded. Galtier said they will be rested for Friday's French Cup game at Châteauroux. Read more: Messi, Neymar & Mbappe all score as PSG beat Troyes 4-3 OTHER MATCHES Monaco moved up to fourth place after winning 1-0 at home to Brest, with Russia midfielder Alexandr Golovin scoring in the 54th minute. Monaco coach Philippe Clement made a bold choice selecting 17-year-old Eliesse Ben Seghir over established striker Wissam Ben Yedder, the club's top scorer for the past three seasons. “He brought a lot of energy to the team,” Clement said. “What’s important is not a player’s age but what he shows on the field.” Ben Seghir made a sensational league debut in midweek, coming off the bench to score twice — including an Mbappé-style curling winner — to help Monaco win 3-2 at Auxerre. Monaco is level on points with third-place Marseille, which plays at Montpellier on Monday. Lyon lost 1-0 at home to Clermont, with midfielder Muhammed Cham scoring a penalty with three minutes left. The win moved Clermont into ninth place and two points behind Lyon in eighth. Rock-bottom Angers took a 10th-minute lead through striker Abdallah Sima, but Lorient equalized in the 79th when Sima turned Enzo Le Fée's corner into his own net. Le Fée hit the winner for 2-1 as Lorient moved up to sixth spot. Toulouse won 2-0 against Ajaccio, with goals from Rafael Ratao and captain Brecht Dejaegere. Substitute Marcus Coco scored the winner as Nantes beat Auxerre 1-0 to pull clear of the relegation zone. MONDAY'S GAMES Rennes needs a home win over Nice to move above Monaco into at least fourth place in the chase for a Europa League spot. After a narrow 2-1 defeat at PSG, struggling Strasbourg hosts Troyes, and Lille hosts Reims.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring and Neymar scored twice as French champion Paris Saint-Germain beat French Cup winner Nantes 4-0 to win the Champions Trophy on Sunday. Messi, the record seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, netted midway through the first half. Taking a deflected pass from Neymar, he went past goalkeeper Alban Lafont before scoring with a fine finish. Read:England beats Germany in extra time to win Euro 2022 Neymar expertly guided a free kick into the top left corner in first-half injury time to put coach Christophe Galtier's side 2-0 up at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, which hosted the game for the second straight year. Veteran defender Sergio Ramos made it 3-0 in the 57th minute from close range and Neymar converted a penalty in the 82nd after being fouled by Jean-Charles Castelletto, who was sent off. Galtier, who guided Lille to the league title against the odds in 2021, now has his first trophy at PSG. He replaced Maurico Pochettino after he was fired. Antoine Kombouare, who once coached PSG, helped Nantes win its first trophy in 21 years when it won the cup.

The winners of the Coupe de France compete against the Ligue 1 champions in the Trophee des Champions each year. The Trophee des Champions 2022 will be played between the Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and Coupe de France winners Nantes on Monday at the Bloomfield Stadium at 12 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). Superstar footballers Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. are most likely to start for PSG in this contest. The Paris Saint-Germain vs Nantes match preview and probable team lineups are discussed in this article. Paris Saint-Germain vs Nantes Trophee des Champions 2022: Probable team lineups PSG will be without their most expensive player, Kylian Mbappe, for this Trophee des Champions 2022 clash against Nantes. The French forward will serve a one-game ban, which means Argentine forward Mauro Icardi will likely partner with Brazilian Neymar Jr. upfront. Lionel Messi will serve as a false 9. Messi will play between the two strikers. PSG’s new head coach, Christophe Galtier, used a 3-4-1-2 system in the pre-season friendlies in Japan and his side looked sharp with the new formation. In particular, the connection between Messi and Neymar has been noticeable. In the midfield, Marco Verratti and Vitinha are very much in the coach’s plan for next season. Read UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Final: England vs Germany preview, lineups, prediction Predicted starting XI (PSG) GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma;  Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe, Sergio Ramos;  Midfielders: Marco Verratti, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes;  Forwards: Lionel Messi, Neymar, Mauro Icardi Nantes’ head coach, Antoine Kombouare, previously managed Paris Saint-Germain's senior team from 2009 to 2011 and won a Coupe de France trophy in 2010. Twelve years later, Kombouare won the trophy with Nantes as manager last season. His side finished ninth in Ligue 1 in the 2021-2022 season. Nobody will bet on Nantes to win the game. Their primary goal in the game would be to put up a fight against PSG. Read England and Germany set for historic Euro 2022 final Predicted starting XI (Nantes) GK: Alban Lafont;  Defenders: Jean-Charles Castelletto, Nicolas Pallois, Andrei Girotto, Sebastien Corchia;  Midfielders: Moussa Sissoko, Samuel Moutoussamy, Quentin Merlin, Ludovic Blas;  Forwards: Moses Simon, Mostafa Mohamed. Paris Saint-Germain vs Nantes H2H Stats Paris Saint-Germain and Nantes have met each other on 31 occasions. PSG have led head-to-head stats with 25 wins, while Nantes have won only three matches and the remaining three matches ended in a draw. Given the stats, Nantes seem to have no chance against the Parisian club. Read Manchester City vs Liverpool FA Community Shield 2022: Match Preview, Lineups, Prediction However, Nantes have a good record in recent duels, winning two of their three victories in the previous three meetings. All of their three victories came at the Stade de la Beaujoire, the home ground of Nantes. A total of 86 goals have been scored between the two sides, where PSG have netted 67, while Nantes have scored only 19. Match prediction:  PSG 3 – 1 Nantes Verdict Paris Saint-Germain and Nantes will miss a few of their regular starters for this Trophee des Champions 2022 match. Mbappe missing the contest due to suspension is the biggest of them all. However, PSG have some world-class footballers in their squad who will draw fans to watch the game. Lionel Messi and Neymar are the two big stars for PSG who can rattle the opposition defense and dazzle the crowds. PSG are overwhelmingly favourites to clinch the trophy, but ruling completely out the Nantes side wouldn’t be justified. Because anything is possible in a one-off contest and Nantes have the ability to stun the French giant in this year’s Trophee des Champions. Read UEFA Women’s EURO 2022: Previews for the semifinals

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaïfi was acquitted in Switzerland on Friday for a second time in a retrial of alleged wrongdoing linked to former FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke. Al-Khelaïfi was cleared again of a charge of incitement to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement for allowing Valcke to use a vacation home in Sardinia rent free. Prosecutors tried to link the home, bought by a Qatari company in 2013, to Al-Khelaïfi-led broadcaster beIN Media Group getting a renewed World Cup rights deal from FIFA. Valcke, who was FIFA’s top administrator for eight years until being removed in 2015, was acquitted again of criminal mismanagement and convicted on separate charges not involving Al-Khelaïfi. They relate to taking kickbacks in negotiations for World Cup broadcast rights in Italy and Greece. The Swiss federal criminal court found Valcke guilty of repeated forgery and passive corruption. He was given a longer suspended sentence — 11 months instead of three — than he received after the original trial in September 2020. Lawyers for Valcke said in a statement he would appeal and “the guilty verdict is therefore in no way final.” A third defendant, Greek marketing executive Dinos Deris, was convicted of active corruption and given a 10-month suspended sentence after first being acquitted in 2020. He was again cleared of inciting Valcke to mismanagement against FIFA’s interests. Read: PSG's Next Head Coach: Potential Successors of Mauricio Pochettino The sentences for Valcke and Deris were both suspended for probationary periods of two years. The retrial was held in March at the Swiss federal criminal court after prosecutors appealed against the original verdicts. Al-Khelaïfi’s second acquittal was hailed by his legal team as “total vindication.” “The years of baseless allegations, fictitious charges and constant smears have been proven to be completely and wholly unsubstantiated — twice,” lawyer Marc Bonnant said in a statement. During a five-year investigation, Al-Khelaïfi, who is also a member of the World Cup host nation’s government, rose in power and status in European soccer. Despite being a suspect in Swiss criminal proceedings, Al-Khelaïfi was elected in 2019 to join the UEFA executive committee and now leads the influential European Club Association after PSG refused to join the failed Super League project last year. The prosecution case against Al-Khelaïfi focused on beIN’s renewal of World Cup rights in the Middle East and North Africa with FIFA around the time the Italian villa was bought. Lawyers for Al-Khelaïfi argued beIN’s deal for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, said in court to be worth $480 million in total, was good for FIFA. While often using the vacation home from 2013 to 2015, Valcke also oversaw FIFA-led talks to move the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from June and July to the cooler months of November and December. FIFA was also awaiting, then dealing with the fallout from, its ethics committee’s investigation into the 2018-2022 World Cup bidding contests. The charges proven against Valcke related to filing three payments totaling 1.25 million euros ($1.32 million) to his personal company’s accounts as loans. However, the three appeal court judges withdrew an order made in 2020 for Valcke to pay FIFA 1.75 million euros ($1.84 million) in restitution. Read: PSG Secure 10th Ligue 1 Trophy Courtesy of Lionel Messi's Amazing Strike “Mr. Valcke did not harm FIFA and his full acquittal on the counts of mismanagement has therefore logically been confirmed,” his legal firm, Geneva-based RVMH Attorneys, said in a statement. “Just as logically, the criminal justice system has now rejected FIFA’s civil claims.” Valcke’s convictions were announced in the same week that former FIFA president Sepp Blatter was on trial in the same Bellinzona courthouse in a separate case. Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini faced fraud, forgery and financial misconduct charges. Verdicts are due on July 8 in that case, which relates to a Blatter-approved FIFA payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2 million) to Platini in 2011. Blatter and Valcke are still suspects in a separate Swiss criminal proceeding that also involves former FIFA finance director Markus Kattner, That case is about a $1 million FIFA payment to the Trinidad and Tobago soccer federation in 2010.   Al-Khelaïfi has also been under investigation by financial prosecutors in Paris for payments linked to Qatari bids to host the track and field world championships, which were staged in Doha in 2019.