French football stars Kylian Mbappe and Rayan Cherki have reportedly voiced their dissatisfaction regarding a recent decision made by the French Football Federation (FFF) concerning their image rights. As reported by a prominent sports outlet, the two forwards are unhappy after the FFF allegedly permitted their images to be used by Betclic, a sports betting company, for promotional activities. This decision has seemingly caused friction within the national team.
The players are particularly worried about their images being utilized in a campaign for a betting firm that is an official partner of the FFF. Other French national team members, such as Desire Doue, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembele, were also included in the advertisement. The images were taken during a photoshoot at Clairefontaine, the team's traditional training facility, but the players assert they were not made aware of how their images would be used. Mbappe and Cherki have emphasized that their issue lies not with the betting company, but rather with the FFF for not adequately communicating the details of the campaign. They are seeking clarification and a retraction, although a resolution may not be reached before the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
France is set to kick off their Group I campaign against Senegal on June 16, followed by matches against Iraq and Norway.
The squad for the FIFA World Cup includes the following players:
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Robin Risser, Brice Samba.
Defenders: Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konate, Jules Kounde, Maxence Lacroix, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano.
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Warren Zaire-Emery.
Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Marcus Thuram.