Is Kylian Mbappé blowing up the coconut tree? According to consistent information from the‘Team and RMC, the international tricolor refused Tuesday morning to participate in the commercial operations planned with the main sponsors of the French team, Volkswagen, Uber Eats, Orange, Xbox, Coca-Cola and Konami.
An ethical refusal?
A refusal that had been germinating for a long time, according to our colleagues : the Mbappé clan has been in discussions for several months (years?) with the FFF to review the agreement which requires players to give up their image rights for the benefit of the Federation, set up after the World Cup fiasco 2010. The object of the discord would be less financial – the player donates all his international bonuses (around 20,000 euros per match) to charities – than philosophical.
Very committed to young people on the issues of eating well in particular, Mbappé would like not to have to advertise with actors who contradict this message. He would also be very attentive to the use of the income from these commercial operations, which he would like to see directed towards amateur football in a larger proportion. We also cannot rule out the less romantic idea of a Mbappé who would not want to associate his image with a sponsor he did not want to associate himself with. in his personal strategy.
Le Graët telephoned him
Obviously, the attitude of the Parisian did not at all please the sponsors of the Blues concerned nor Noël Le Graët, who would have tried to influence the position of the player on the telephone, without success. The president of the FFF knows how slippery the slope is: several internationals could also take the opportunity to demand a review of both the convention which governs their image rights in the selection and the nature of the Federation’s partners.