French authorities have launched an investigation into a series of payments made by Kylian Mbappé to members of the Republican Security Corps (CRS), raising questions over the nature of the transactions and the Real Madrid forward’s relationship with state security officials.
Mbappé, whose father is Cameroonian and mother Algerian, is at the centre of an inquiry being led by Tracfin—the French agency responsible for monitoring financial crimes.
According to investigative outlet Le Canard Enchaîné, the probe concerns five CRS officers who received a combined €180,300 from Mbappé’s personal accounts in June 2023.
Four officers were paid €30,000 each, while the fifth, a commanding officer, received €60,300.
The CRS officers in question were reportedly assigned to the French national team during the period, providing security during international fixtures.
French police oversight bodies are now investigating whether these payments were official donations tied to the 2022 World Cup, or if they served as compensation for private protection services rendered to Mbappé outside his national team duties.
The 26-year-old forward had previously pledged to donate his World Cup earnings to security personnel as a gesture of appreciation, and reportedly consulted a lawyer to ensure the payments were tax-exempt for the recipients.
However, the case has taken a complex turn following reports that the commanding officer accompanied Mbappé on personal trips to Cameroon and Vaucluse in June 2023.
This raises questions about whether the services rendered were part of official duties or private engagements. The dates also coincide with France’s Euro qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece, neither of which occurred near Vaucluse.
