Mbappé and Cherki furious after bookmaker uses their image without consent

Kylian Mbappé and several of his France teammates have expressed their displeasure following the release, without their explicit consent, of an advertisement for online betting company Betclic using their image. The matter was revealed on Saturday by L’Équipe.

Everything stems from a photo shoot organized on Tuesday with five French internationals. Mbappé, Rayan Cherki, Désiré Doué, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé posed for what they were told was a shoot without the commercial destination of the images being clearly specified. A Betclic advertisement featuring them has since been posted online.

According to L’Équipe, Betclic is acting within the legal framework of its partnership with the French Football Federation (FFF), which grants it rights to use the image of selected players. The problem raised is therefore not legal, but rather stems from the failure to inform the players concerned beforehand. Mbappé and Cherki are reportedly particularly annoyed: both refuse, on a personal basis, to promote gambling operators.

This episode is part of a broader tension between the France squad and its federation. The players have also expressed their displeasure in recent weeks over the number of tickets allocated to them for World Cup matches. For now, the grievances remain temporarily set aside, but the matter is expected to resurface after the tournament.