The investigation into the former security officer of the French national team, Mohamed Sanhaji, is gaining momentum. The scandal surrounding him has become a serious problem for the French Football Federation (FFF). The investigation now covers numerous financial transactions, contacts with police officers and alleged use of official connections to settle personal matters.
The latest revelations by the French media, including “Equipe“, “Le Parisien“ and RTL, have put Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe and his mother Faiza Lamary in the spotlight. The two were questioned as part of the investigation, but their procedural status is different from that of Sanhaji, against whom charges have been brought.
Mbappe was questioned on September 30 by officers of the Inspectorate General of the National Police of France (IGPN), which is investigating the case. The main questions relate to a transfer of 60,300 euros to Sanhaji in 2023, as well as a trip by the two to Cameroon.
The amount is part of the bonus that the striker received after the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. According to the explanations of the footballer's entourage, the money was a gift in gratitude for the work of the employees who looked after the national team.
Mbappe has also distributed funds to other people involved in French security. The total amount of payments to five police officers and three private security guards, about which information appeared in 2025, is 180,300 euros.
It was the unusual financial transactions that attracted the attention of the French financial intelligence service Tracfin. In July 2024, it filed a report, after which a preliminary investigation was launched into alleged undeclared work and money laundering from tax fraud.
Additional interest is aroused by Mbappe's trip to Cameroon with Sanhaji after receiving the funds. Investigators are checking the circumstances surrounding the trip and whether it was entirely private or had any connection to the former police officer's official position.
The footballer's entourage claims that it was a voluntary gift, made transparently and with the help of tax consultants. However, the donation itself does not prove either a crime or the absence of one. This is what investigators are trying to clarify.
Mbappe's mother, Faiza Lamary, was heard on October 9 by the three judges leading the investigation. After the interrogation, she was granted the status of témoin assisté — a procedural status in French law for a person against whom there are certain suspicions, but who has not been brought as a defendant in the relevant order.
According to publications in the French media, the interest in her is related to requests for assistance from Sanhaji in issuing four visas for people from her entourage. According to data from the investigation, Lamary turned to the former police officer for help in these matters. The status received does not mean that she has been found guilty. It differs from the formal indictment and provides specific procedural rights to the person being questioned.
In this case, investigators are investigating whether Sanhaji used his official contacts to influence administrative procedures and whether his actions exceeded the limits of permissible assistance.
Mbappe and Lamari's lawyer, Marie-Alix Kanu-Bernard, did not wish to comment publicly on the information about the interrogations.
The case is not limited to the gift of 60,300 euros. According to publications by “Equipe“ and other French sports media, investigators are also investigating significant amounts provided to Sanhaji by current and former football players.
One of the main lines is related to a loan for the purchase of property. According to media reports, Mbappe provided €120,000 through his mother, with the loan being drawn up before a notary. This amount is separate from the known transfer of €60,300.
A total of around €215,000 was raised by various football figures to finance the purchase of the house, according to the cited publications.
Among the names mentioned in the media reports are:
Raphael Varane — €20,000;
Sabri Lamouchi — €20,000;
Laurent Blanc — €20,000;
Yan M'Villa — 15,000 euros;
Matteo Guendouzi — 7,500 euros.
The amounts mentioned are presented as loans, not as proven bribes. The investigation must clarify under what conditions the money was provided, how it was used and whether there were other agreements between the parties.
According to Foot Mercato, Sanhaji has requested financial assistance from around 15 footballers and former national team players. The same media outlet reports that between 2020 and 2024, he received a total of over 300,000 euros from players, without necessarily including all alleged services and benefits in kind.
Investigators are also investigating whether Sanhaji used his position and contacts to arrange personal matters for footballers and their families. According to media reports, the alleged services range from assistance with visas and administrative procedures to travel arrangements, access to football events and other privileges.
Sanhaji's name also appears in connection with a request for assistance for a relative of Mbappe's family, as well as a question about emergency medical care. The publications describe relationships in which the former police officer was not just a security officer, but a trusted person capable of connecting famous people with representatives of the institutions.
The French media also reported on alleged financial difficulties presented to the people from whom Sanhaji asked for money. These allegations are part of the investigation and do not constitute definitively established facts.
The investigation goes far beyond Mbappe's immediate entourage. According to information from the French media, among those questioned are former France coach Didier Deschamps, the president of the French Football Federation Philippe Diallo, the former head of headquarters Noel Le Graet and former national team player Franck Ribery.
The mere fact that these individuals were questioned does not mean that there are any charges against them. Investigators are gathering information about their relationship with Sanhaji, financial transactions and possible services provided through his contacts.
The case also raises questions about internal controls at the French Football Federation. Sanhaji worked with the national team for more than two decades (2004-2026), building close relationships with several generations of players and management.
On September 16, 2026, Sanhaji was indicted on several alleged crimes, including concealing the embezzlement of public funds, corruption, influence peddling, fraud and money laundering from tax fraud.
According to a publication by “Equipe“, citing “Le Parisien“, a former company commander of the Republican Security Forces (CRS) was also indicted at the same time. He is alleged to have been close to Sanhaji and to have used his contacts to help with a private matter related to Faiza Lamarri.
Investigators are investigating whether such actions constituted undue influence peddling or were mere complicity. According to publications, this line of investigation is also examining contacts with other police officials, including possible links between privileges granted and the professional development of individual officers.
Sanhaji is under judicial supervision and is not allowed to contact the football community within the limits imposed on him. He left the police service after disciplinary problems related to receiving a large check in 2023 without informing his superiors in advance.
The scandal also puts new France coach Zinedine Zidane in an awkward position. According to French media, he initially wanted to keep Sanhaji on his team because of his many years of experience and his knowledge of the organization of the national team. However, after the former police officer was brought in as a defendant, legal restrictions prevented him from working with the football team.
Sanhaji had been part of the French national team organization since 2004 and had intimate knowledge of the players' daily lives, their travels and the work of the federation. It is this closeness to the players, which was perceived as an advantage for years, that is now becoming one of the central themes of the investigation. Apart from financial relations, the investigation must establish whether Sanhaji performed services in his capacity as a police officer, whether he misused his official contacts and whether some payments were related to actions outside his official duties.
The investigation is ongoing, and there is currently no final court decision on the charges. Sanhaji benefits from the presumption of innocence, like any other person against whom there is no final conviction. The next steps of the French judiciary will show whether the case will remain focused on the former employee's financial relations with football players, or will become a broader investigation into the use of institutional connections to benefit celebrities.