The players of the France team on Wednesday drew an amended draft convention of rights to the image of internationals to the president of the French Federation, Noël Le Graet.
Published: October 26, 2022 at 5:21 p.m.
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LWith their captain Hugo Lloris in mind, the Blues drew on Wednesday a modified draft agreement on their image rights at the French (Site notre blog d’information) Federation (FFF), a new episode in a quarrel that lasts and which they hope to settle in January. . The internationals translated the new text directly to the president of the FFF, Noël Le Graët.
They want the new agreement to come into force in early 2023 after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (November 20-December 18) and that it be first reduced to a duration of « two years », and not indefinite like the current one. . They also ask that she reconsider « the clarification of the rights of the FFF on the collective image of the France team » but also on the « right of each player on his individual image ».
The current convention no longer suits the Blues. They had made it known together for the first time last March when Kylian Mbappé had questioned his participation in certain advertising operations. The PSG star is not alone in this quest, all the players of the France team want to modify this 12-year-old text, signed on the ashes of the Knysna scandal, the strike of the team’s players de France in the middle of the 2010 World Cup, which had prompted the FFF to develop a rigorous text on the representation of internationals.
Changeable every two years
Players want to be able to decide whether or not they are represented in the selection, whether for their personal convictions (junk food, sports betting challenge, religious reasons, etc.) or in the event of a conflict between an individual sponsor and a The french team.
For example, Raphaël Varane, individually engaged with a car manufacturer, had asked not to represent a competing company sponsor of the Blues, which had been understood and accepted by the FFF. Current commitments with sponsors avoid changing the agreement before the World Cup in Qatar, but the players are therefore expecting change in January.
They want the duration « to be increased to two years in order to be able to be adapted at the end of each major competition (World Cup and Euro) », specify their press release. The discussions on the image rights of the Blues go back a long way. They appeared in broad daylight in March, during a gathering of the France team.
The choice of brands
The trigger came from Mbappé’s refusal to participate in an advertising session if the convention did not change. The situation seemed to be improving, the two parties (the representatives of Mbappé and the FFF) had met, without however reaching an agreement, explained the two parties in June.
But in declaring on September 19 to L’Équipe that » nothing will change until the world cup For the convention, Noël Le Graët had reignited the fuse, sending the discussions back after the World Cup. Mbappé had then made it known in a press release that day that under these conditions, he did not want to ensure a new advertising session the next day. The same evening, the FFF undertakes to revise « the Convention.
The 23-year-old striker, like all of his teammates at the Blues, wants to be able to keep the choice of brands with which his image is associated. In addition, being one of the great stars of the French team, he is always very much in demand by partners during advertising operations. At the height of the quarrel, in early May, Le Graët had threatened the player, in the newspaper L’Équipe, to deprive him of income related to the image rights of the Blues.
» On a double sponsor, obviously everyone asks for Mbappé, it can be understood that at times he is annoyed. We are going to regulate this quietly. (…) Maybe we need to review things a bit “, had admitted the president of the FFF on France Inter. This time he has a ready-made project on his desk.
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