The French striker, wanted by Real Madrid, could have an option under FIFA rules of unilaterally breaking his contract, but only in very extreme circumstances.
PSG and Mbappe against each other
The battle between PSG and Mbappe gets tenser day by day. The president of the French club, Nasser Al Khelaifi, has set out his position: “I’m going to be clear. Kylian Mbappe will continue at PSG, we’ll never sell him and he’ll never leave for free.”
The forward, currently with France at Euro 2020, has mostly kept out of the debate in public, but hasn’t ceded an inch. And he’s backing up his stance with performances on the pitch, setting the scene for a battle in which FIFA’s rules could play a vital role, with what is in effect a ‘panic button’ that could set him free from Paris, but only in extreme circumstances.
Article 14.2 of the FIFA’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players sets out that either party – club or player – may unilaterally terminate the contract between them without paying any compensation where there is “abusive conduct”. Any abusive conduct of a party aimed at forcing the counterparts to terminate or change the terms of the contract shall entitle the counterparty (a player or a club) to terminate the contract with just cause.” Under this rule, forcing Mbappe to renew would be the change to the terms of the contract covered by the regulations.
Applying the rules to Mbappe’s case
According to Toni Roca, a lawyer specializing in sports law and the Director of the Sports Law Institute the regulations would apply, but it is very far from easy for that to be the case. This could be a problem for PSG. Real Madrid officials know that Kylian Mbappe has a big chance to stand against the will of PSG’s president.