Mohamed Sanhadji investigated after Kylian Mbappé donation as wider allegations emerge | OneFootball

Zinedine Zidane has begun with two 1-0 wins over Türkiye and Belgium, but France are now facing a legal storm around logistics and security chief Mohamed Sanhadji.

In mid-September he was placed under formal investigation for corruption of a person holding public authority after a 180,300 euros donation from Kylian Mbappé in July 2025 to five France security officers, including Sanhadji, as thanks for the Qatar World Cup. According to L'Equipe, the probe extends far beyond that payment, covering suspected receiving of misappropriated public funds, active and passive influence peddling, passive international influence peddling, fraud and laundering of tax fraud proceeds.

Sanhadji, who has overseen the team’s logistics and security for nearly two decades, is said to have narrowly avoided pre-trial detention by paying 80,000 euros bail. His judicial control bars him from entering Clairefontaine.

The IGPN suspects he built a vast football network and at times used it for personal gain. He has assisted players and staff on personal matters, including Paul Pogba’s March 2022 abduction case, the 2025 Riolo-Deschamps trial and the paedophilia case involving Antoine Griezmann’s former mentor Eric Olhats. Between 2020 and 2024 he is alleged to have received close to 300,000 euros from current and former internationals, plus benefits in kind, with Laurent Blanc, Raphaël Varane, Sabri Lamouchi, Yann M'Vila and Mattéo Guendouzi cited.

He is reported to have flattered players with near-identical messages and urged discretion, and in 2024 told Guendouzi that exposure would be his end. In return for favours, figures such as Frank Ribéry and Jamel Debouzze are said to have paid for his holidays in Sicily or Morocco.

Source: Le Progres

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