L’Équipe report this morning that Kylian Mbappé’s recent image rights feud with the FFF is not the first time a French national team player has contested the agreement regarding sponsorship commitments on international duty.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward’s boycott in March and again in September, along with the support of the rest of Les Bleus’ players, led to the FFF accepting to review the agreement.
Defender Raphaël Varane was involved in a similar albeit more discrete case in 2015, when he refused to have his image associated with a fast-food outlet and a betting company. He also declined to be linked with the French team’s car manufacturer sponsor, given he was representing another brand himself.
At the time, his representative had argued that the agreement went against his Real Madrid contract, for which he was still being paid even while on France duty. Talks were launched with the FFF, and notably president Noël Le Graët, and an agreement was eventually found whereby Varane would be associated with other sponsors. No such clauses have been signed since then.
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin
