The result against Ivory Coast? Already forgotten. The next match against South Africa, Tuesday in Lille? We’ll have plenty of time to think about it. No, if there is indeed a framework for the gathering of the Blues at the start of spring, it is the question of the image rights of the players of the France team, after Kylian Mbappé refused to appear at the last marketing operations of the Blues.
A boycott, in particular to question the agreement signed between the French Football Federation and international players. “This document comes into force at the time of its signature and expires five years after the end of the player’s professional career”, details Delphine Verheyden, Kylian Mbappé’s lawyer, in The Team. “It’s not realistic to make such a long commitment. (…) We will no longer be able to do without collective renegotiation on a regular basis. »
“Players must have the right to look”
The lawyer also believes that it is important that “players are in harmony with the advertisements in which they participate. They have a role model for their young audience. (…) The new generation is no longer ready to compromise with its principles and ideals. She cites the example of her client who, after the World Cup won in Russia in 2018, preferred to decline ads for junk food.
“What would have happened if a Russian company [avec le conflit en Ukraine] had been a sponsor of the FFF? Players would have had no way to refuse to promote this brand. Players must have some sort of conscience clause. (…) We must also rework the notion of collective image when it concerns only five players. The players concerned must have a right of inspection. »