Article by Sebastian Vasile – Published on Sunday, 07 June 2026, 10:48 / Updated on Sunday, 07 June 2026 10:48
Kylian Mbappe (27) left France's national team training on Saturday following a dispute with the French Football Federation.
The world runner-up star appeared in a series of videos published on social media last night, showing him leaving the Gaelic Roosters' training ground prematurely uninjured.
VIDEO. Kylian Mbappe pulled out of France training earlier
This incident comes just 4 days before the start of the 2026 World Cup hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
Five players of the French national team, Kylian Mbappe, Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Michael Olise objected to the use of their image in an advertising campaign launched by an online betting companyaccording to an article published by the daily newspaper L'Equipe.
The five international players claim that they were not informed that the images filmed during an event reserved for the commercial partners of the French Football Federation (FFF), which took place on June 2 at Clairefontaine, would be used for advertising purposes by this operator.
Kylian Mbappé premier à quitter la séance des Bleus 🇫🇷@90minFR pic.twitter.com/ejWoCuKNta
— Ilies Peeters (@IliesPeeters) June 6, 2026
Kylian Mbappe refuses to be associated with sports betting
Of the five players involved, Mbappe and Cherki are described by L'Équipe as the most disgruntled. The two internationals never wanted to associate their image with the promotion of sports betting.
For the Real Madrid star, the issue is particularly delicate, as he had publicly justified a previous refusal by opposing bookmakers, believing that sports betting had negative effects in working-class neighborhoods. Cherki shares this opinion.
Just a few days ago, he played a half in France's friendly against Ivory Coast (1-2) and there is speculation that, following yesterday's incident, Mbappe will not play in the final test against Northern Ireland.
