The French Football Federation rejected Paris Saint-Germain's request to reconsider the French League's decision, which mandates the club to pay 55 million euros in unpaid wages and bonuses to its former star Kylian Mbappé, who transferred to Real Madrid, according to a source close to the case who spoke to AFP on Friday.
The Parisian club submitted its request to the Federation's executive committee a day later than the deadline, the same source said. PSG had 10 days to file the request after losing an appeal in mid-October.
PSG, which was informed of the decision on Friday morning, did not expect to overturn the decision made by two legal committees of the French League, but the rejection of their request "in form" came as a surprise.
The dispute stems from an agreement reached in August 2023 between Mbappé and the club’s management. The French forward was sidelined and excluded from several matches after he refused to extend his contract.
Had he extended, PSG would have received a transfer fee for the 2018 World Cup winner and 2022 World Cup runner-up, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer.
Under this agreement, the player agreed to waive 55 million euros in bonuses if he left on a free transfer at the end of the season. However, the validity of this agreement, which Mbappé himself discussed publicly with the press last January, is now questioned by the player's camp.
PSG issued a statement on the 10th of last month stating that it would not pay the amount and would await a judicial decision on the matter. It added that given the limited legal jurisdiction of the French Professional Football League (LFP) in making a final ruling, the case should now be referred to another legal authority.
PSG may resort to other administrative and legal measures, potentially leading to a prolonged legal battle with its former player.
