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06 March 2026
Issue: 8152 / Categories: Legal News , Sports law , Employment , Commercial , Sports litigation , International
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NLJ this week: Mbappé row spotlights ‘ethics bonuses’

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A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law

These bonuses, tied to conduct on and off the pitch, are lawful in principle—but only if framed as objective remuneration, not disguised penalties. French law prohibits ‘financial penalties’, rendering contrary clauses ‘deemed unwritten’.

The Paris Labour Court stressed that ‘contractual undertakings must be complied with’.

Poor drafting risks recharacterisation or invalidation; sophisticated drafting is now essential in a sport where reputation and revenue are entwined.

Issue: 8152 / Categories: Legal News , Sports law , Employment , Commercial , Sports litigation , International
printer mail-details
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