A ruling is not expected immediately and could be several months away
Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain are set to appear before a Paris labour court on Monday over the issue of unpaid wages. The Real Madrid forward is seeking a ruling over €55m he claims was unpaid during the final months of his contract at the club.
A lawyer at the Paris bar, Elie Dottelonde, outlined how the session will unfold.
“Mbappe is the plaintiff. He will present his arguments, namely the non-execution of his employment contract, more specifically the non-payment of the last three months’ salary and unpaid bonuses,” said Dottelonde.
“The defendant will have to explain why, according to them, they do not have to pay these months’ salary and unpaid bonuses. This would be a first in the history of the case law of the Industrial Tribunal.”
A final decision is not expected immediately. Legal sources familiar with the process say a ruling could still be several months away.
Mbappe’s camp maintains that PSG blocked salary and bonus payments after the forward refused to trigger a contract extension in the summer of 2023. He was initially excluded from the squad but reinstated after the opening league match, and then later accused by PSG of having agreed to waive certain sums owed him. The player’s representatives have repeatedly dismissed this claim.
The dispute has since passed through multiple legal bodies. Sporting authorities at the Professional Football League (LFP) and French Football Federation (FFF) were unable to decide on the matter after PSG requested a procedural hearing at the Paris Judicial Court. The hearing for that was originally scheduled for May but has now been postponed indefinitely.
Mbappe’s team obtained a court order freezing the disputed €55m in PSG’s accounts but this was lifted less than a month later in May. Mbappe also filed a criminal complaint of harassment against PSG but eventually withdrew the claim.
L’Equipe journalist Erik Bielderman said the quarrel was an ego issue for PSG.
“The big point for the club is they don’t want to appear to have lost the war with Mbappe,” said Bielderman. “They will go to the very last legal deal before paying.
“They know they will have to pay because there was not a written agreement between Mbappe and PSG to cancel these bonuses. But they will make it as difficult as they can for the Mbappe legal camp.”
The player’s lawyer, Delphine Verheyden, said earlier this year that the forward was “determined to assert his rights, for himself but also for all the other players” who may face similar contractual situations.
