The Spanish league will file a complaint against PSG’s new contract with Mbappé
PSG’s Kylian Mbappe waves to the crowd as it is announced he has signed a three-year contract extension on the pitch ahead of the French Ligue 1 soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Metz at the Parc stadium des Princes in Paris, France, Saturday, May 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)
PA
MADRID
The Spanish league are set to file a complaint against Paris Saint-Germain over Kylian Mbappé’s contract renewal, claiming the “scandalous” deal undermines the economic stability of European football.
Saturday’s league announcement came after Mbappé decided to stay with PSG instead of joining Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.
The league said in a statement that it will file a complaint with UEFA, the European Union and the French administrative and tax authorities to “defend the economic ecosystem of European football and its sustainability”.
The league said the deal puts “hundreds of thousands of jobs and the integrity of sport at risk, not just in European competitions but also in domestic leagues”.
“It is outrageous that a club like PSG, which last season recorded losses of more than 220 million euros ($232 million) after racking up losses of more than 700 million euros ($739 million dollars) in previous seasons (while declaring sponsorship revenue at a dubious valuation), with a team costing around $650 million ($686 million) for this season, can make such a deal, while the clubs that could afford to hire the player without seeing their wage bill compromised, find themselves unable to sign him.
Mbappé has signed a new three-year contract until 2025, saying he is happy to continue his “adventure” in Paris.
The league has lodged complaints against PSG with UEFA for non-compliance with financial fair play rules in the past. UEFA initially sanctioned the French club but the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the sanctions in a “bizarre decision”, according to the league.
“PSG is assuming an impossible investment, given that it has an unacceptable wage bill and significant financial losses over previous seasons. This violates current UEFA and French economic control rules,” the league said. “This behavior demonstrates once again that public clubs do not respect and do not want to respect the rules of a sector as important as football. These rules are essential to protect and maintain hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Spanish league president Javier Tebas has often attacked public clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City for what he calls their disregard for financial fair play rules.
He tweeted after the news broke that Mbappé was staying with PSG that it was an ‘INSULT to football’.
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