The pair appeared before an appeal hearing in Switzerland where Federal prosecutor Cristina Castellote requested prison sentences of 28 months for Al-Khelaifi and 35 months for Valcke.

Swiss authorities are looking to overturn the verdicts handed down at a 10-day trail in September 2020 over alleged bribery of football broadcast rights.

Al-Khelaifi, chair of beIN Sports, was acquitted of inciting aggravated criminal mismanagement, while Valcke was cleared of the criminal mismanagement charge.

The UEFA Executive Committee member had been accused of having given Valcke, currently banned from football for 10 years by FIFA, exclusive use of a luxury villa in Sardinia.

It was claimed this was linked to beIN Sports extending its Middle East and North Africa broadcasting rights for the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cups.

Valcke was found guilty in a separate charge for forging documents relating to Italian and Greek World Cup rights.

The Frenchman, FIFA's secretary general for eight years before he was sacked when the corruption allegations emerged in 2015, received a 120-day suspended prison sentence.

He was also ordered to pay the world football's governing body €1.75 million (£1.6 million/$2 million) plus interest.

A third defendant, Greek marketing agency executive Dinos Deris, was acquitted on charges of active corruption with Valcke in relation to the Greek and Italian rights deals.

Al-Khelaifi and Valcke have denied any wrongdoing, claiming the villa deal was a "private arrangement" that was unrelated to the broadcast rights contract.