Mohamed Sanhadji’s future at heart of France and FFF tensions | OneFootball

Mohamed Sanhadji’s future as France’s long-serving security chief became a flashpoint between the squad and the FFF around the World Cup, according to L'Équipe.

France finished fourth on Saturday after a 4-6 defeat to England in the third-place play-off.

A few days before the 29 May meet-up at Clairefontaine, the federation’s management posted a vacancy for head of security, a role Sanhadji has held since 2004. The former police commander had taken early retirement after a 2022 donation from Kylian Mbappé, which he declared, was deemed irregular by his superiors, yet the FFF kept him on through the tournament.

Didier Deschamps values him, and the players too, who said they would not travel to the United States without him. After seeing the advert and fearing he could be replaced before the camp, he was left in an awkward position. The head coach intervened to clarify matters with the federation and remove the ambiguity.

The issue may not be closed. Close to the Mbappé family, Zinédine Zidane, Fabien Barthez and other leading figures, Sanhadji is less favoured by the FFF leadership, which offered only tepid backing during the donation case. In essence, Vilotte does not want him, while Zidane, announced as Deschamps’s successor, would like to keep him.

Source: L'Équipe