France national team image rights dispute remains unresolved

Amid a dispute over the players’ image rights while on international duty, the France national team will not take part in any sponsorship commitments during the upcoming international break, according to RMC Sport.

The dispute initially started when Kylian Mbappé, this time last year, refused to involve himself in activities with some of the French FA’s partners, with whom he did not want to associate with. When the issue was again brought up in September – Mbappé once again intending to carry out a boycott – the FFF agreed to revise the image rights agreement national team players sign, after a discussion with senior players, then-president Noël Le Graët, Didier Deschamps, and a marketing director.

The new document was not agreed on before the World Cup, as had been planned, with the major point of contention being whether or not a player can refuse to associate his image with certain brands – as had been the case with Mbappé and fast-food and betting websites. The fact that Noël Le Graët has since resigned, and that Raphaël Varane and Hugo Lloris – the two senior players who were leading talks along with Mbappé – have retired from international football, has seen discussions stall for the time being.

Negotiations are now being led by the lawyers of Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann, with the next Media Day for Les Bleus scheduled in June. The FFF’s interim president Philippe Diallo is now set to take charge of the issue, having spoken with several members of staff this week.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin