Ousmane Dembélé's reps deny involvement in bizarre Ballon d'Or PR scandal

Updated: 24 Nov, 2025 • 0 • min read

Table of Contents

Ousmane Dembélé's reps deny involvement in bizarre Ballon d'Or PR scandal

Photo: Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembélé has been dragged into a bizarre public relations controversy after a marketing agency was accused of trying to secretly boost his Ballon d'Or chances online.

The story emerged after freelance journalist Neal Gardner revealed he had received a "confidential collaboration" email proposing a paid campaign of "carefully crafted tweets" to promote the French winger's candidacy.

According to The Athletic, the message came from India-based agency Bangrr International, who suggested Gardner - a known Barcelona supporter - could help "strengthen the narrative" around Dembélé by posting supportive content on social media.

Ok, here goes…

I was recently approached by a PR agency to run a PAID campaign in favour of Dembele’s Ballon d’Or run.

I don’t know who’s funding this, but I think it’s absolutely ridiculous and I had to raise awareness. https://t.co/fRwSzCBZuf pic.twitter.com/JaOsUNj0KP
— Neal 🇦🇺 (@NealGardner_) September 12, 2025

Agency Blames 'Curious' Intern

After Gardner exposed the approach on X (Twitter), Bangrr's founder Ali Husain admitted the email came from his company but blamed it on an "unsolicited inquiry sent by an 18-year-old intern."

Husain insisted the outreach was "educational curiosity" rather than a real commercial offer and apologised to both Gardner and Dembélé for what he called a "misunderstanding."

Dembélé Camp Distances Itself

The PSG forward's representatives have strongly denied any connection to the plan, making it clear the player had no knowledge of or involvement in the attempted campaign.

Gardner himself stressed he did not know who, if anyone, had been funding the initiative, but said he chose to make it public to highlight the "ridiculous" nature of the situation.

Timing Flaw Undermines Plan

The most surreal part of the affair is that voting for the 2025 Ballon d'Or has already closed, with the winner due to be announced in Paris on Monday, 22 September.

Any month-long PR push at this stage would have been completely pointless.

Despite the unwanted distraction, Dembélé remains the strong favourite to win his first Ballon d'Or after being named Champions League Player of the Season during PSG's victorious 2024/25 campaign.

Whilst the agency has pledged to tighten its protocols, the saga has cast a spotlight on the shadowy world of PR lobbying around football's most prestigious individual award.

For any enquiries, please contact us here.