September 19, 2022
The brief from today:
Image rights tension within France national team
National teams are congregating for the international break taking place this week, and France are no exception. Prior to any matches being played, however, there is already tension brewing. France coach, Didier Deschamps, is already dealing with a lengthy injury list to many of his primary players, but there is another issue taking place off the field. Star forward, Kylian Mbappe, raised an issue in March regarding the compensation of player image rights with the French Football Federation (FFF), and it seems the matter hasn’t been resolved. Mbappe’s gripe was that some players, including him, are far more prominent in many of France’s media campaigns, and as a result the current pay packages needed adjusting. When the FFF didn’t budge, Mbappe boycotted wearing some of the training equipment bearing the logos and names of some of the national team’s key sponsors. Well, now it has happened again due to the lack of action by the FFF. As the French players met at their Clairefontaine training base today, it was discovered that a photo shoot was scheduled for tomorrow where the players would wear training kits emblazoned with the main sponsors. Once again Mbappe showed his discontent, but this time he didn’t just opt to wear something without logos, he said he wouldn’t participate in the photo shoot at all. With Mbappe being far too influential in Deschamps’s plans, the FFF know suspending him isn’t an option, especially with the World Cup less than two months away. So finally, FFF president, Noel Le Graet, agreed to meet with Deschamps and some senior players to commence renegotiation on image rights. It is still early in the process, but eventually it will be clear which party made more concessions in this complex situation.
Currently, the only France sponsor Mbappe is willing to wear is Nike as he is already endorsed by them
Sampdoria close to getting new owner
Following the financial fraud arrest of former Sampdoria president, and still technically current owner, Massimo Ferrero, in December 2021, the club have been up for sale. Independent negotiators have been tasked with selecting the best bid for the team, and there have been a few names making the rounds in the past nine months. One proposal that seemed close to materializing was former Sampdoria legend, Gianluca Vialli, and the consortium he was leading, but that fizzled out. Now, however, there seems to be a serious contender: Khalid Faleh al Thani. The man from Qatar is part of the royal family, and seems quite serious about purchasing the Genoa based club. Alongside al Thani are France's Di Silvio, a movie producer, and Ivan Bonetti, who once played for Samp. Di Silvio recently confirmed the reports by telling the media the bid is indeed gathering steam. While al Thani is part of the Qatari royal family, he isn’t from the same side as PSG’s current owners, so he is a bit of an unknown quantity. That said, he will certainly be able to provide more financial stability to the Serie A side compared to their current state.
Massimo Ferrero’s arrest last year set the sale of Sampdoria in motion