Kylian Mbappe’s €180,300 payments to former France security chief under investigation

Former France security chief Mohamed “Momo” Sanhadji is being investigated over allegations of money laundering, tax evasion, corruption, fraud and influence peddling after receiving hundreds of thousands of euros from players, including Kylian Mbappe.

According to an investigation published by French newspaper L’Equipe on Thursday, Mbappe lent Sanhadji €120,000 through his mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, as part of an agreement to buy a house.

That payment was separate from €60,300 Mbappe gave Sanhadji as a “bonus” after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, taking the total amount provided by the Real Madrid forward to €180,300.

The €60,300 payment was made in June 2023, when Mbappe distributed his World Cup bonus among the security staff assigned to protect the France team. Four officers received cheques worth €30,000 each, while Sanhadji was given €60,300.

People close to Mbappe told L’Equipe the payments were intended to recognise the staff’s work and were not made in return for services. Mbappe has not been charged in the case.

France’s financial intelligence unit Tracfin, which operates under the Ministry of Economy, identified the transactions in summer 2024. The Paris prosecutor’s office then opened a preliminary investigation into suspected money laundering, tax evasion and undeclared work.

Investigators are examining whether the payments were genuine gifts or disguised wages for private protection services. They also noted that Sanhadji travelled with Mbappe outside his official duties, including a private trip to Cameroon in July 2023, days after receiving the €60,300.

Sanhadji joined the police in 2004 and served as head of security for France for more than two decades. He became a trusted figure in the dressing room, where players called him “Momo”. L’Equipe reported that members of the squad wanted him to travel with them to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, while Zinedine Zidane had insisted he remain part of his proposed staff at the French Football Federation.

The investigation also found that Sanhadji sought money from about 15 current and former players and received loans totalling €215,000. Rafael Varane, Sabri Lamouchi and Laurent Blanc each lent him €20,000, Yann M’Vila provided €15,000 and Matteo Guendouzi €7,500.

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, he wrote to Guendouzi on 25 October 2024: “If this comes to light, it will be the end of me.”

Sanhadji was told of his early retirement by the national police directorate on 19 December 2025 after an internal investigation criticised him for failing to report the cheque from Mbappe. However, the French Football Federation employed him directly until July 2026.

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

Sanhadji has been placed under strict judicial supervision, barred from contacting current or former players, coaches or federation officials, and prevented 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.