The French Ligue 1 has written to Javier Tebas, the president of Spanish La Liga, to express its displeasure with his assaults on Paris Saint-Germain’s finances following Kylian Mbappé’s decision to stay with the French side rather than join Real Madrid.
Tebas said the Spanish league would file objections to UEFA, the European Union, and French administrative and fiscal authorities after Mbappé signed a new three-year contract with Qatari-owned PSG. Tebas feels the “scandalous” pact threatens the sport’s economic stability.
“We want to express in the strongest possible terms our disapproval, and also our incomprehension, of your latest attacks against Ligue 1 and one of our clubs,” the chairman of French Ligue 1, Vincent Labrune said in a letter to Tebas on Wednesday that was obtained by The Associated Press.
“The fact that you publicly and repeatedly take this position against Ligue 1 on this topic and denigrate our league and our clubs is both unacceptable and manifestly false.”
Tebas has long questioned PSG’s reliance on Qatari sponsorships, which he believes are of “questionable value.” and questioned how the club could stick to the regulations in the face of such adversity.
Labrune wrote, “Your attacks on Ligue 1 and one of our clubs Paris Saint-Germain and one of our players Kylian Mbappé are based around your own interpretation of financial unsustainability and competitive imbalance, which you repeatedly attribute to Ligue 1 and one of our clubs.”
Labrune cited the European Court of Justice’s ruling that Real Madrid and Barcelona benefited from illegal state aid, as well as the fact that Spanish top-flight clubs have spent about a third more on players in the last ten years than the French Ligue.
Tebas’ position as a member of the UEFA executive committee, according to Labrune, was essential in the creation of new European financial sustainability regulations. There are no criteria in the successor for Financial Fair Play that prohibit clubs from receiving investment from sovereign wealth funds like Qatar.
The Kylian Mbappe transfer saga came to an end on Saturday, with confirmation that the Paris Saint-Germain striker has turned down a move to Real Madrid in favor of extending his contract with the Ligue 1 club for another three years.
After accepting a hefty offer to join Real on a free transfer, the 23-year-old signed a new contract with PSG on Saturday. Mbappe has previously stated that Real Madrid is his childhood dream club.
