French court orders PSG to pay Mbappe $70.6m

A court in Paris, the capital of France, has ordered Saint-Germain (PSG) to pay French forward Kylian Mbappe 60 million euros ($70.6 million) in unpaid salary and bonuses.

The ruling on Tuesday followed months of legal wrangling after Mbappe took PSG to court over earnings he said were withheld for April, May, and June 2024, shortly before he left the Ligue 1 club to join Real Madrid on a free transfer.

The court found that PSG failed to pay three months of Mbappe’s salary, an ethics bonus, and a signing bonus due under his employment contract.

Those sums were recognised as due by two decisions of the French Professional Football League (LFP) in September and October 2024, and the judges said PSG had not produced any written agreement showing the French forward had waived his entitlement.

The judges rejected PSG’s arguments that Mbappe should forfeit his unpaid wages entirely.

The judges also dismissed several of the player’s additional claims, including allegations of concealed work, moral harassment, and breach of the employer’s duty of safety.

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Amid accusations of betrayal and harassment surrounding the breakdown of their relationship, Mbappe’s lawyers claimed PSG owes him more than €260 million ($305 million).

PSG, however, sought €440 million from the France international, citing damages and a “loss of opportunity” after he left on a free transfer.

Mbappe’s lawyers said in a statement: “This judgment confirms that commitments entered into must be honoured. It restores a simple truth: even in the professional football industry, labour law applies to everyone.

“Mr. Mbappe, for his part, scrupulously respected his sporting and contractual obligations for seven years, right up to the final day.”

Tuesday’s decision can be appealed and is unlikely to end the dispute.

The Star