Ligue 1 president Vincent Labron has responded strongly to his counterpart Javier Tebas, who attacked Paris Saint-Germain after the extension of Kylian Mbappe's contract, saying that Tebas' distortion of the Ligue 1 and its players is "unacceptable".
Mbappe, whose name has been linked to a move to Real Madrid, rejected an offer to join the Spanish champions on a free transfer and extended his contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2025.
🗣️🎙️ @KMbappe: "My story here isn't over yet, and I still have beautiful chapters to write."
✍️𝐊 𝐥 𝐢 eners energized
pic.twitter.com/Nv6ELhgPg
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_arab) May 23, 2022
The Spanish League reacted furiously to the contract extension, and said it would file a complaint against Saint-Germain with the European Football Association (UEFA) because the deal represented an "attack on the economic stability" of European football.
"We are even more shocked that you are taking advantage of your position as president of the European League (which is supposed to represent all the leagues in Europe including Ligue 1) and as a member of the UEFA Executive Committee (whose role is to develop and the development of the collective interests of European football).
🗣️ 'It's an unbelievable feeling'
Between pride and passion, President Nasser Al-Khulaifi and @KMbappe talk into a microphone https://t.co/wbSZ8NDAJP 🎙️#𝐊 continual performance 𝐢 MVP 𝐢 MVP
pic.twitter.com/OITMB1GSSN pic.twitter.com/OITMB1GSSN
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_arab) May 24, 2022
He also said, "It is difficult to know the actual content of your message, and what is the relevance of renewing the player's contract with a club in another league in the Spanish League."
"Your attacks on the Ligue 1 and one of our clubs, Saint-Germain, and one of our players, Mbappe, depend on your own interpretation of financial unsustainability and competitive imbalance, which you always attribute to Ligue 1 and one of our clubs," Labron added.
"The fact that you have taken this position publicly and repeatedly against the Ligue 1 on this issue, and discredit our league championship and our clubs, is unacceptable and a clear mistake."
Behind the scenes of @KMbappe's Day at the Princes' Park 🏟️🤩#𝐊 MVPSC ️𝐢️️
pic.twitter.com/5fECHe4JzK
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_arab) May 23, 2022
Tebas wrote on Twitter that Mbappe's contract extension was an "insult to football", claiming that PSG had suffered heavy financial losses in recent seasons.
Labron responded by saying that Real "sat two of the highest-paid players in world football on the bench" while stating that Barcelona's debt level "is 1.5 billion euros".
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said last August that the club's debt amounted to 1.35 billion euros ($1.45 billion).
Labron stated that Tebas' previous attacks on players such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos, who left Barcelona and Real respectively and moved to Saint-Germain, were also unjustified.