Mbappé, four France players object to Betclic World Cup ad

Kylian Mbappé and four France team-mates — Rayan Cherki, Désiré Doué, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé — have objected after images of them were used in a Betclic advertisement tied to the French Football Federation’s World Cup sponsorship. The photographs were taken during a photoshoot at Clairefontaine, the national team training centre.

The players’ grievance is directed at the federation rather than Betclic. A collective image-rights convention signed in September 2023 governs how the squad’s image may be used by official partners. Under that agreement, sponsors may use rotating group images when five or more players appear, and the campaign follows that format.

The players say they were not informed about how the photos would be used and have asked the federation for an explanation and a retraction. The issue was raised with team management but will not be pursued publicly until after France’s World Cup campaign to avoid disrupting preparations. The federation has until around September to address the matter.

Mbappé has been among the most vocal players on the subject. Mbappé’s lawyer, Delphine Verheyden, has argued: “A player’s image is linked to their values and sponsorship campaigns should align with them given the influence leading internationals have on younger fans.” The players are not accusing the bookmaker of breaching the current convention; their complaint centres on the federation’s consent and communication process.

The dispute follows an earlier disagreement before the 2022 World Cup when Mbappé briefly declined to take part in a sponsor photoshoot at Clairefontaine. That episode led to negotiations and the 2023 image-rights convention now at the centre of the current dispute.

France begin their Group I campaign on June 16 against Senegal, followed by matches with Iraq and Norway. The World Cup concludes on July 19.

The episode is part of wider discussion about gambling sponsorship in football. Several leagues and regulators have tightened rules on betting advertising in recent seasons, including measures that have moved operators away from prominent shirt-front deals and increased scrutiny of operator activity ahead of the tournament.