Mohamed Sanhaji, a senior official responsible for logistics and security with the France national team, is facing a judicial investigation over more than €60,000 he received from Kylian Mbappe following the 2022 World Cup.
Sanhaji, who previously worked as a police officer assigned to the French national team, has been placed under judicial supervision as French authorities investigate allegations including corruption, abuse of power, embezzlement of public funds and fraud.
The case centres on a payment of €60,300 made to Sanhaji by Mbappe in June 2023. The money had been received by the Real Madrid forward as a bonus connected to his participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Sanhaji did not report the payment to his superiors within the French police. The transaction later came to the attention of France’s Financial Intelligence Unit, Tracfin, after a banker reported it to the organisation in July 2024.
The notification prompted authorities to examine the circumstances surrounding the payment, initially focusing on undeclared work and possible money laundering linked to tax evasion. A formal judicial investigation was subsequently opened in January 2026.
Sanhaji is now subject to restrictions as part of the judicial supervision measures imposed during the investigation. These restrictions reportedly prevent him from communicating with current and former France players, members of the national team’s current coaching staff, former coaches, and current and former presidents and employees of the French Football Federation.
The restrictions also cover several officials working within French security services, indicating that investigators are examining matters beyond the financial transaction involving Mbappe.
Sanhaji had been a respected figure among several France players and within the French Football Federation. He remained involved with the national team after leaving the National Police Service.
He had worked as a police officer responsible for the security of the French national team from 2004 until the end of 2025. He subsequently took early retirement from the police force in connection with the case involving the payment from Mbappe.
The investigation follows the authorities’ examination of the circumstances surrounding the €60,300 payment and whether it should have been declared. The judicial process remains focused on the allegations against Sanhaji and the wider circumstances surrounding the funds.
Mbappe’s payment to Sanhaji is therefore at the centre of a case that has brought the former security official under judicial scrutiny, while French authorities continue to investigate the allegations.
