While PSG are playing the stars of the sky in sports, a legal battle with former star player Kylian Mbappé flares up behind the scenes. The Frenchman claims another €55 million in arrears and has had the club's accounts seized. Meanwhile, the question arises: can sporting sanctions follow, and who really has the last word here?
The Parisian top club is doing well when it comes to sports. Last weekend, the Parisians became Ligue 1 champions undefeated and, after the midweek round in the Champions League, the semi-final of the million-dollar ball also seems within reach. In the background, on the other hand, a dispute with former star player Kylian Mbappé reached boiling point. Real Madrid's current number 9 states that he still has three months of salary and part of his loyalty bonus due and therefore seized 55 million euros in the Parisians' bank account. PSG states that Mbappé has verbally waived these amounts.
The legal committee of the LFP, the organization behind the French Ligue 1, has already ruled in favour of the star player in two instances and ordered PSG to pay the full amount. Because PSG refused, the star player submitted a request to the LFP disciplinary committee in December 2024, which body can impose disciplinary measures on clubs. This committee declared that it had no authority to consider the request because PSG had already appealed against the decisions of the Legal Committee to the civil courts.
As the legal battle continues, the question arises whether PSG can also suffer on a sporting level. The FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber has the authority to impose sporting sanctions on clubs. But due to the lack of an international dimension to the dispute (after all, Mbappé and PSG are both French), the DRC will not have the authority to consider this. In addition, the LFP regulations do not contain a provision declaring the CAS authorized to deal with disputes.
What remedies are then left for Mbappé outside the national courts? One way to exert pressure is to ask the French Football Association (FFF) not to grant a UEFA licence to PSG for next season if the LFP's decisions are not implemented. Based on UEFA regulations, FFF, as the national football association, is authorized to lay down conditions for issuing UEFA licenses to French clubs. This license is required to participate in club competitions organized by UEFA, such as the Champions League and Europa League. However, it is doubtful whether the FFF will take such measures as long as civil law has not ruled on the matter. The first session is scheduled for May 16. So although the marriage between the former prodigy Les Parisiens is over, this issue will continue for a while. To be continued, no doubt.
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