Ballon d'Or 2026: Molina accuses Fayza Lamari of conspiracy theories targeting Dembélé

Investigative journalist Romain Molina published a video on September 17 on his YouTube channel in which he attacks media campaigns orchestrated by 2026 Ballon d’Or contenders, whose list of 30 nominees was revealed by France Football on September 8.

In this video, Molina dwells at length on the rivalry between Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, both nominated for the trophy. He mentions “jabs” that the France captain allegedly directed at his competitors, which the PSG forward’s entourage apparently struggles to accept.

It is, however, Fayza Lamari, Mbappé’s mother and central figure in his circle, who draws the journalist’s harshest criticism. Molina attributes to her the spread of conspiracy theories according to which PSG and Moussa Sissoko, Dembélé’s agent, allegedly manipulated questions posed to Mbappé during an interview to damage his image in the Ballon d’Or race. “Who is the only person in the world, through certain digital networks, making people believe this? Who could believe such a theory, other than Fayza Lamari?” he says.

Molina goes further, painting a severe portrait of the player’s mother in professional circles: “In the football world, everyone agrees: nobody supports her, except the people who work with her, because there’s a paycheck. With her, it’s permanent conflict, permanent conspiracy.” He adds that certain figures in the industry now tend to associate Mbappé himself with this climate: “Kylian is very nice, but at some point, his mom—he’s responsible for her. So now, people associate the two.”

These statements come as the 2026 Ballon d’Or race is only in its early stages, and several candidates have already launched active communication campaigns with voters. Neither Mbappé nor his entourage had publicly responded at the time the video was published.