The French Football Federation (FFF) finally gave in to pressure from star striker Kylian Mbappé. In a press release published on the evening of Monday, September 19, the institution which governs French football undertook to “revise as soon as possible” the agreement governing the image rights of the Blues.
“The FFF is delighted to work on the outlines of a new agreement which will enable it to ensure its interests while taking into consideration the concerns and legitimate convictions unanimously expressed by its players”, indicates the FFF. This turnaround comes a few hours after Kylian Mbappé refused to participate in the photo session scheduled for Tuesday, a second episode in the conflict between the Paris Saint-Germain striker and the FFF.
€25,000 match bonus
The quarrel over image rights in the national team does not originate from the remuneration of players in the Blues but is more related to the control of the player’s image. The Parisian player thus claims a right of scrutiny over the brands with which his image could be associated.
Compared to the salaries received in their respective clubs, income from image rights (referred to as “match bonuses”) in the national team remains marginal. They amount to €25,000 per match, which is the only remuneration for players in selection, at least outside of international competitions. By way of comparison, Kylian Mbappé would receive at Paris Saint-Germain around 85 million euros per year, according to revelations from the New York Times in May.
Half a million euros in the event of victory at the World Cup
To these match bonuses can be added “victory bonuses” during international competitions such as the Euro or the World Cup. Unlike the first, paid by the French Football Federation, the second are not taken from the budget of the FFF but distributed by the organizing bodies.
In the case of the World Cup, for example, FIFA pays each federation participating in the World Cup a variable sum depending on the number of victories and the course in the competition. An envelope of some 417 million euros is planned for the World Cup in Qatar this winter. Of this sum, approximately 40 million euros will be distributed by Fifa to the selection which will leave with the trophy.
According to the agreement in force at the FFF, 30% of this sum will then be donated to the players and to part of the technical staff, the coach and his assistants. Or €446,000 per person (in the case of a list with 23 players selected) or €402,000 (in the case of a list extended to 26 players). A larger endowment than during the World Cup in Russia won by the Blues in 2018 during which each player received around €350,000.
Wage inequality
During the Euro last year, UEFA had distributed nearly 331 million euros to the federations. Eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland, Didier Deschamps’ men still left with almost €173,000 each, against just over €300,000 allocated to the Italian winners.
These amounts are far higher than those received by women. During the Women’s Euro 2022, which saw the France team fail in the semi-finals, barely two million euros were made available to the federations by UEFA. Even in the event of a coronation, the French women would have received only €60,000, despite a gesture made by the FFF.
