Mbappe payments put former France security chief at centre of corruption investigation

Kylian Mbappe loaned Mohamed “Momo” Sanhadji €120,000 through his mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, as part of a house purchase, according to an investigation by French newspaper L’Equipe. The payment was separate from €60,300 the former France security chief received from Mbappe after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, taking the total to €180,300.

The case concerns allegations of money laundering, tax evasion and undeclared employment. No allegations have been made against Mbappe.

The €60,300 payment was made in June 2023, when Mbappe distributed his World Cup bonus among the security staff who protected the France team. Four officers received cheques worth €30,000 each, while Sanhadji received €60,300. People close to Mbappe said the payments were intended as recognition for the staff’s work and were not made in return for services.

France’s financial intelligence unit Tracfin, which operates under the Ministry of Economy, identified the transactions in summer 2024. The Paris Bourse then opened a preliminary investigation to establish whether the payments were genuine gifts or disguised wages for private security work.

Investigators also examined private journeys made by Sanhadji with Mbappe outside his official duties, including a trip to Cameroon in July 2023, only days after Sanhadji received the €60,300.

A trusted figure within France’s set-up

Sanhadji became France’s head of security after joining the police in 2004 and spent more than two decades as a trusted presence around the national team. Players called him “Momo”, and L’Equipe reported that several of them insisted he should accompany them to the 2026 World Cup in America.

Zinedine Zidane also wanted Sanhadji to remain part of his proposed new staff at the French Football Federation. Zidane said: “I’M NOT HAPPY because I know him very well… People are dealing with this, I can’t talk about this matter. I hope he can defend himself and that it goes…”

The investigation found that Sanhadji had sought financial help from about 15 current and former players. He allegedly received loans totalling €215,000, including €20,000 from each of Raphael Varane, Sabri Lamouchi and Laurent Blanc, €15,000 from Yann M’Vila and €7,500 from Matteo Guendouzi.

Mbappe’s payments accounted for more than half of that amount. L’Equipe said Sanhadji received more than €300,000 from players and people close to the France team between 2020 and 2024, excluding holidays and benefits in kind.

In messages seen by the newspaper and sent to Guendouzi on 25 October 2024, Sanhadji wrote: “If this comes to light, it will be the end of me.”

From police officer to defendant

On 19 December 2025, France’s national police directorate told Sanhadji he would retire early following an inspectorate investigation, which criticised him for failing to report the cheque received from Mbappe.

Despite that, the French Football Federation hired him directly until July 2026 and he travelled with the team to the World Cup. His close relationship with Mbappe was underlined on 2 June, when Mbappe personally called Sanhadji during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Clairefontaine and asked him to join the group photograph.

That position changed on 16 September, when Sanhadji was formally charged with receiving stolen public funds, active and passive corruption, influence peddling, fraud, and money laundering linked to tax evasion. He remains presumed innocent.

He was placed under strict judicial supervision, barred from contacting any current or former player, coach or federation official, and prohibited from entering Clairefontaine, Stade de France or Parc des Princes without a judge’s permission. He is also banned from professional sporting activity and must pay €80,000 bail. The French Football Federation has joined the case as a civil party.