Mbappé responds to Platini: «I will not accept racism»

Kylian Mbappé has taken a stand against Michel Platini over the issue of abuse and racism in football, stating in an interview with France Football that there are matters that are «non-negotiable».

The dispute began with comments from the former French national team number 10 and three-time Ballon d’Or winner, who told newspaper L’Équipe that professional footballers should accept criticism and abuse as a natural consequence of their fame: «They chose this path and now they must bear the consequences. These are the results of fame, glory and money. If they can’t handle it, let them choose another job».

The Real Madrid forward initially took care to place his predecessor’s remarks in proper context. He said: «He lived in a different era. I cannot judge it and I don’t know if I would have been able to play in it». He added: «It’s his point of view, I cannot criticize it because it reflects his experience as a player in the 1970s and 1980s. It was a different football, a different sport, a different profession, a different society, a different world».

However, Mbappé then drew a clear line. He said: «I think there are things we should accept and others we shouldn’t, and the latter are non-negotiable». To illustrate his point, he returned to the racist attacks he suffered from a Paraguayan senator following the World Cup round-of-16 match between France and Paraguay. He said: «I received support from the government in Paraguay. I received support from the president, with whom I was in contact, and from all the relevant authorities. We were talking about what Michel Platini said, that we should accept everything. Well, I don’t accept these things».

The former Paris Saint-Germain player concluded with a pointed observation: «I have no problem highlighting that in 2026, we have people in important positions but they enjoy a rare level of incompetence. We will always have the energy to fight this».