Mbappe row deepens as star refuses French photoshoot

The PSG forward is at odds with a new image rights proposal in French football

France striker Kylian Mbappe has reportedly refused to take part in a photoshoot ahead of his country’s upcoming Nations League games in a row which continues to brew just two months out from the World Cup in Qatar.

The France national team are due to take part in a photoshoot on Tuesday with various different sponsors – but this has received pushback from the team’s talismanic forward Mbappe, who is said to be unhappy with the image rights standards afforded to him and his fellow international stars.

Per a report by L’Equipe, Mbappe and his representatives are understood to be concerned that no new deal has been reached with French football in terms of financial compensation for image rights ahead of the World Cup.

“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,” a statement from the player’s representatives read.

“He and his representatives deeply regret that no agreement could, as requested, be found before the World Cup.”

This follows a similar feud in March in which Mbappe refused to take part in a marketing campaign which would have featured both fast food and gambling companies.

Read more

It was reported by Le Parisien that Mbappe does not want to be associated with products which promote obesity or gambling addiction, which he sees as potential dangers to many of his younger supporters.

At the time it was claimed that Mbappe felt uncomfortable being linked to such products. He was also understood to be upset at how certain players within the French national team were being portrayed in advertising campaigns - with other stars in the squad also said to have voiced similar frustrations. 

Regarding deals with France national team sponsors, they are permitted to select five players from the squad to appear in campaigns – with Mbappe’s profile meaning that he is one of the most requested players.

However, his reps were keen to stress that his photoshoot refusal “obviously does not call into question his total commitment and his determination to contribute to the collective success of the national team for the important sporting events to come.”

France play Austria on Thursday in Paris before an away game in Denmark at the weekend. 

Les Bleus were drawn in a World Cup group alongside Australia, Denmark and Tunisia.