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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.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal—Jack Kelly

Gateley Legal expands Midlands residential development team

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn—Richard Surtees

Gibson Dunn adds employee benefits and executive compensation practice in London with partner Richard Surtees

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL—Alec Cameron

Laytons ETL appoints new partner and head of intellectual property disputes

NEWS
A series of recent decisions has clarified important principles across property law, from perpetuities to lease renewals and public rights over land
Employers cannot rely on wellbeing services alone to defend workplace stress claims after a High Court decision awarding almost £1m to an overworked employee
Andy Burnham's brand of 'Manchesterism' could offer fresh thinking on legal aid and access to justice if it reaches Westminster, according to Roger Smith, NLJ columnist and former director of JUSTICE
The constitutional fallout from a change of prime minister, rather than the politics, is under scrutiny as questions arise over the limits of executive authority in a leadership transition
The legal profession is undergoing a fundamental shift from selling services to creating technology-enabled products, according to Professor Luke Mason, Head of School of Law at Regent's University London
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