According to L'Equipe, Mbappe has expressed dissatisfaction with the French Football Federation because a betting company (a sponsor of the French Football Federation) used his image for commercial promotion without permission.
With only four days until the World Cup, the French team is facing one problem after another. The latest incident involves an advertising campaign that angered several players and caused tension within the team. According to L'Equipe, Mbappe is one of the players who spoke out to the French Football Federation because he was used to promote a betting company.
Last Tuesday, Mbappe participated in several commercial activities with the main sponsors of the French team. On Thursday, in a friendly match against Ivory Coast, he appeared in an advertisement for a well-known betting company alongside Cherki, Doue, Olise, and Dembele. This caused his dissatisfaction because he has always been reluctant to be associated with such brands.
For years, Mbappe has been working to protect his image rights, avoiding association with betting companies or fast-food brands, as he wants to set an example for young people.
As early as September 2023, he threatened to refuse to participate in advertising activities during training camps if the FA did not re-examine contracts with players, although no agreement was ultimately reached. "In fact, we don't agree with that image rights agreement: junk food, gambling promotion... We are the French national team, we are role models. Some of us come from communities where countless people have been ruined by these things. It ruined people I know," he told Canal+ two years ago.
Mbappe has been one of the central figures in pushing for a revision of the contracts for French national team players. However, although the French Football Federation promised to make changes, it has not yet adjusted the relevant terms. This time, the betting company exercised its commercial rights over the French international players, and the players expressed dissatisfaction with the French Football Federation, believing that the French Football Federation failed to reach a new agreement that was more favorable to the players.