UNFP Criticizes Paris Saint-Germain over Kylian Mbappe Contract Dispute

 UNFP Criticizes Paris Saint-Germain over Kylian Mbappe Contract Dispute

UNFP Criticizes Paris Saint-Germain over Kylian Mbappe Contract Dispute(Image-Getty)

The National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) in France has strongly criticized Paris Saint-Germain for excluding Kylian Mbappe from their pre-season tour to Asia amid an ongoing contract dispute between the player and the club.

According to media reports, PSG has put the 24-year-old France captain up for sale after relations between the two parties turned sour last month. Mbappe had previously stated that he would not be renewing his contract, which is set to expire at the end of the upcoming season, allowing him to leave for free in June 2024.

However, PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi has asserted that they will not allow Mbappe, who has been the top scorer in the French top-flight for the past five seasons, to leave without a transfer fee.

In a comprehensive statement issued on Saturday, the UNFP, which is the primary trade union for professional football players in France, emphasized that all players should be entitled to the same working conditions as any other professional employee. They pointed out that exerting pressure on an employee, such as deteriorating their working conditions, to force them to leave or comply with the employer's demands amounts to moral harassment, which is strictly condemned by French law.

The UNFP asserted its right to take legal action against any club found engaging in such behavior.

Despite PSG's nine out of the last eleven Ligue 1 titles, the club's domestic success has not been mirrored in the Champions League, as they have never secured that prestigious trophy, despite significant investments in the squad.

Now, PSG faces a dilemma concerning Mbappe's contract situation. They must decide whether to let him complete the final year of his contract and risk losing him without any financial compensation, despite spending 180 million euros ($200.2 million) to sign him from AS Monaco in 2017.

Recent speculations have linked Mbappe with a potential move to Real Madrid, a club that boasts a record 14-time European champions status.