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Written by Martin Graham | May 27 2022
Vincent Labron, president of the French Professional Football League (LFP), has hit back at his Spanish counterpart Javier Tebas for his revolution in the Kylian Mbappe saga.
The 23-year-old has caused a sensation in the world of football after opting to stay at Paris Saint-Germain despite his romantic relationship with Real Madrid over the past two years.
The deal included a lot of money that Madrid were also willing to give to the 2018 Copa Cup winner, but his choice to stay at Parc De Princes did not sit well with many figures in the world of football.
The League lost both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and there is no star name. After pinning his marketing hopes on Mbappe’s arrival, the young winger opted to stay in France much to the chagrin of the Tebas-led body.
They issued a long statement threatening to discuss the issue with UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, alleging that PSG had breached Financial Fair Play rules in their dealings with Mbappe.
But Labron responded to his counterpart in a message that was published in the media immediately after it was sent to Tebas. In the letter, Labron called Tebas’ comments “unacceptable” and “completely inappropriate.”
Labron’s letter to Tebas
The message reads: “We would like to express in the strongest terms our disapproval, but also our lack of understanding for your recent attacks against Ligue 1 and one of our clubs.
“We are all shocked by these attacks because you are the president of the European federations (presumably representing all the leagues in Europe, including Ligue 1) and a member of the UEFA Executive Committee (whose role is to advance the collective interests of European football).
“Your attacks on Ligue 1 and one of our clubs, Paris Saint-Germain, and one of our players, Kylian Mbappe, depend on your own interpretation of financial unsustainability and competitive imbalance, which you repeatedly attribute to Ligue 1 and one of the clubs.
“Today your disrespectful remarks appear to be directed at Kylian Mbappe, widely known as one of the best players in the world who has not joined your league, by his choice, despite a similar offer.
“Unlike you, Ligue 1 greets and cheers players in our league and across Europe – including those in your league. Someone in your different jobs would be advised to do the same.”
Ceferin describes Tebas’ complaints as hypocrisy
Labron’s letter comes after UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin called Tebas’ allegations hypocritical.
The UEFA president said in a recent interview with BBC Sport: “UEFA has very strict fair financial rules. Whoever will respect our rules is welcome to play in our competitions; whoever will not respect the rules will not.
“Don’t look at Real Madrid or anyone else who will tell UEFA what to do. They are angry from one point of view, and as far as I know, their offer was similar to that of [PSG’s] Show.”
