French Players’ Union Considers Lawsuit Against Paris Saint-Germain Over Kylian Mbappé Contract Dispute

Jul 22, 2023 at 5:02 PMUpdate: 2 days ago

The French players’ union UNFP is considering filing a lawsuit against Paris Saint-Germain. Star player Kylian Mbappé has been passed over for the training camp in Japan because he refuses to extend his contract.

Paris Saint-Germain reportedly set Mbappé a deadline. The top striker must extend his contract expiring next year before July 31. If he doesn’t, the Parisians want to get rid of him.

By leaving Mbappé at home for the training camp in Japan, the French national champion seems to want to exert pressure. The UNFP lashes out in a press release. The union accuses PSG of not respecting Mbappé’s contract.

The UNFP does not rule out starting a lawsuit against PSG. We reserve the right to take all civil and criminal proceedings against clubs that behave in this way.

According to the UNFP, it is only logical that the same working conditions apply to football players as to the rest of the French working population.

Mbappé’s situation exemplifies a broader problem

Club president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi previously said that “players who are not in Japan are not part of the club”. That statement is against the sore leg of the UNFP. PSG are delicately reminded that Mbappé is “just” still under contract.

“In no time, he is no longer part of the coach’s plans, which could pass as a misleading argument,” the press release continues. “It is about the top scorer in the history of the Parisian club and the best player in the world.”

The UNFP wants to use the Mbappé situation to set a precedent. The organization calls on politicians to take up the matter so that “workers in France can carry out their professional activity with impunity.”

The situation Mbappé finds himself in reflects a broader problem, according to UNFP. 187 Ligue 1 players would have their contracts not, or partially, not respected. Georginio Wijnaldum, also passed over for the training camp in Paris, is in a similar situation.

Mbappé could go to Al Hilal

Al Hilal is according to RMC Sport willing to buy off Mbappé’s contract for the astronomical sum of 200 million euros. After July 31, PSG would like to accept this offer. After one year in Saudi Arabia, Mbappé could then move to his dream club Real Madrid.

It became clear at an earlier stage that ‘De Koninklijke’ has no money to attract the Frenchman this summer. Chelsea also seems to be in the market, although it is not clear whether ‘The Blues’ can afford Mbappé.