Dries Mertens reportedly refused to sign an image rights deal with Belgium for the World Cup, as Napoli already own the rights.
The Partenopei are famous for insisting that players hand over 100 per cent of their image rights before signing, where most clubs take just half.
According to VTM Nieuws, most of the Diables Rouges squad signed a contract last Friday to allow the Belgian federation to use their image for commercial purposes during the World Cup.
Dries Mertens reportedly refused to sign an image rights deal with Belgium for the World Cup, as Napoli already own the rights.
The Partenopei are famous for insisting that players hand over 100 per cent of their image rights before signing, where most clubs take just half.
According to VTM Nieuws, most of the Diables Rouges squad signed a contract last Friday to allow the Belgian federation to use their image for commercial purposes during the World Cup.
However, Mertens didn’t sign up, with his lawyer pointing out that Napoli already owned his image rights.
The KBVB couldn’t come to a deal with the Partenopei, so the forward won’t be included in any commercial material.
“Everyone is free to do or not do as they like,” Vice-President Bart Verhaeghe explained to VTM Nieuws.
“There’s no blame at all, we live in a free world and as a federation we have no problem with it.”