Paris St-Germain (PSG) is facing allegations of “moral harassment” for excluding Kylian Mbappe from their pre-season tour of Asia, and the French footballers’ union has threatened the possibility of legal action.
Kylian Mbappe, PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer, has informed the club that he will not extend his current contract, which still has 12 months remaining. The club’s intention is to sell the 24-year-old forward now to secure a transfer fee, but Mbappe has expressed his plan to honor his contract until its conclusion.
Back in 2017, PSG acquired Mbappe for £165.7m after his transfer from Monaco. However, the recent decision to leave him out of the squad traveling to Japan and South Korea has led the National Union of Professional Footballers to release a statement advocating for equal working conditions for players and comparing the treatment of athletes to that of regular employees.
The union emphasizes that pressuring employees, such as deteriorating their working conditions, to force them into decisions against their will or to meet the employer’s demands constitutes moral harassment, which is strongly condemned under French law. The union has asserted its right to pursue both civil and criminal action against any club engaging in such practices.
“The UNFP feels it would be useful to remind managers that putting pressure on an employee – via the deterioration of their working conditions, for example – to force them to leave or accept what the employer wants constitutes moral harassment, which French law firmly condemns.
“The UNFP reserves the right to take civil and criminal action against any club that behaves in this way.”
Over his six-year stint with PSG, Mbappe has been a pivotal player, netting an impressive 212 goals in 260 games. He has also been a vital part of the French national team, contributing significantly to their victory in the 2018 World Cup and scoring a memorable hat-trick in the 2022 final, albeit resulting in defeat against Argentina.
There were previous expectations that Mbappe would join Real Madrid on a free transfer after his contract expired in 2022. However, he surprised many by signing a new two-year deal with PSG. Now, with the decision not to extend his contract further, PSG’s management believes it would be untenable for Mbappe to remain part of the team.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG’s Chairman, has made it clear that allowing Mbappe to leave for free in 2024 is “impossible.”
During the summer, PSG appointed former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique as the new head coach, replacing Christophe Galtier.