Kylian Mbappe rejected to take part in a photoshoot for the France national team on Monday, September 19, because of an ongoing dispute over image rights.
Only a few months after agreeing to a new contract with PSG, World Cup winner Mbappe has already received criticism for his actions multiple times this season.
Before agreeing to that new contract, which apparently allowed him control over how the team was operated, he was anticipated to transfer to Real Madrid.
He has collided with Neymar and Achraf Hakimi this season, and Lionel Messi didn’t appear too happy about it when his fellow forward bumped into him earlier this season.
After all the back and forth, the 23-year-old Frenchman could not put all the craziness at his club behind him and focus on getting ready for the World Cup in November 2022.
Even with France, things aren’t perfect because the striker has managed to get himself involved in a scandal concerning blackmail involving Paul Pogba and his brother.
The former Monaco attacker has reportedly declined to participate in a photo shoot with the national squad due to a dispute over image rights, according to L’Equipe.
According to the source, this is more of a concern with control over how and by which companies his image is utilized than it is with money or greed.
According to reports, Kylian Mbappe began a boycott of particular companies in March and attempted to negotiate with the FFF, but the issue has not been resolved.
The forward reportedly doesn’t want to deal with some fast food and gambling firms but contributes all of the money he receives from France’s sponsors to charity.
The main sponsors of France’s national team are Uber Eats, KFC, and Coca-Cola; the latter has a history of notable athletes refusing to be connected with their brand.
Recall that during a post-match news conference at the Euros last summer, Cristiano Ronaldo made the iconic decision to remove two bottles of Coke in favor of a bottle of water.
As one of the tournament’s major sponsors, that prank caused the corporation to lose a staggering $5.2 billion in value from the price of its shares at the time, which probably didn’t make them very happy.
France has a history of tournament mishaps and player chemistry issues, so they’ll be aiming to steer clear of any of that before Qatar in November.
They have lost their first four games in the Nations League, placing them last in their group, and will be aiming to stay up.
In their final two games before the World Cup, Didier Deschamps’ team will play Austria and top-of-the-table Denmark.
In the Middle East, they will play Australia, Tunisia, Denmark again, and Australia in the group stages. If they do not win their group, they may play Argentina in the second round.
However, as the reigning champions, they’ll mostly be focused on avoiding the curse of losing in the group stages, which has befallen all champions since 2002, with the exception of Brazil.
What was said?
“Mbappe decided not to take part in the planned photo session after the refusal of the Federation to modify the convention of image rights of players,” read a statement by the forward’s representatives. “He and his representatives deeply regret that no agreement could, as requested, be found before the World Cup.”
Kylian Mbappe shenanigans
The France team is embroiled in yet another controversy as they prepare to defend their World Cup championship because Mbappe declined to participate in the photo shoot.
In connection with an alleged extortion scheme that included Mbappe, Mathias Pogba, the brother of Paul Pogba, has been charged and placed in custody. The France midfielder’s participation in the tournament is currently in doubt following surgery.
The competition for spots in the starting lineup is equally fierce.
On Thursday, France plays Austria, and three days later, France goes to Copenhagen to play Denmark. The Nations League’s second division will be home to Les Bleus.
The defending champions have two points after four games and are last in Group 1. Denmark are topping the group with nine points.
