Reports from France suggest PSG could face a Champions League ban this season due to an ongoing dispute with former star Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe left PSG this summer to pursue his dream of playing for Real Madrid. After seven years in Paris, where he won six Ligue 1 titles and reached one Champions League final, he’s now heading to Spain.
In May, Mbappe made an emotional announcement to PSG fans about his decision to leave the club.
“It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honor to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world, which allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure and to grow as a player of course by being alongside some of the best in history,” he told supporters.
The Frenchman made an ideal debut for Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory and marking his first goal for the club.
However, Carlo Ancelotti’s team had a rougher start to the domestic season, dropping points in a 1-1 draw with Mallorca, with Mbappe unable to find the net on his La Liga debut.
Even though Mbappe left Paris over two months ago, he remains embroiled in a dispute with PSG and the club’s owners, Qatar Sports Investments. This ongoing conflict could jeopardize the French champions’ spot in the Champions League this season.
Le Monde reports that Mbappe has not yet received the €55 million (£46.8m) he alleges he is owed from his last lucrative contract with PSG.
This amount includes the final €36 million (£30.6m) installment of his signing bonus, due in February, along with the last three months of his April, May, and June wages.
Mbappe also asserts he is owed an ‘ethical bonus’ for the three missed months. According to L’Equipe, his legal team sent PSG a formal notice about this in mid-June.
The report suggests that although Mbappe tried to avoid a major conflict, his ongoing struggle to receive payment has led the 25-year-old to take serious measures.
He has now reportedly escalated the issue to the French Professional Football League (LFP) legal committee and, through the French Football Federation (FFF), to UEFA, the governing body of European football.
The LFP’s involvement could spell trouble for PSG, as the organization can impose a transfer ban on the club and revoke their UEFA license, potentially leading to a Champions League ban.
The report notes that any club participating in UEFA competitions must demonstrate by February 28 of the preceding season that they have no outstanding salary payments to their staff.
As a result, PSG risks losing its UEFA Club license for the 2024/25 season if the Mbappe issue remains unresolved.
PSG’s Stance on Mbappe’s Unpaid Wages
The French club contends that Mbappe’s unpaid wages are justified by his ‘commitments’ to forgo them if he left as a free agent.
Before his summer departure was confirmed in January, Mbappe stated that an “agreement” had been made to “protect all parties.”
“As I said, we’ve got titles to go after, and we’ve already won one, so that’s already done. After that, no, I haven’t made up my mind yet,” said Mbappe.
“But in any case, with the agreement I made with the chairman [Nasser Al-Khelaifi] this summer, it doesn’t matter what I decide.”
“We managed to protect all parties and preserve the club’s serenity for the challenges ahead, which remains the most important thing. So we’ll say it’s secondary.”
However, Le Monde reports that no agreement has been formalized between PSG and Mbappe since their representatives last met in 2023.
PSG has released an official statement confirming that “constructive” discussions with the player and his representatives are ongoing.
“PSG does not wish to make any comment on the ongoing discussions, which have been going on constructively for many months, and the club continues to respectfully engage on the subject,” read the statement.
It is still unknown whether Mbappe and his legal team intend to escalate the case to the French courts if the issue remains unresolved.
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