Mbappé's gift leads to corruption charges against French security official

Mohamed Sahnaji, who was in charge of logistics and security for the French national football team, has been charged with several offenses, notably corruption of a public official, in the case known as the “Kylian Mbappé gift,” according to the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office.

In June 2023, shortly after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Sahnaji received a check worth 60,300 euros (approximately 70,000 dollars) from Mbappé, funded by the bonus the player received following the tournament. Sahnaji had been responsible for the security of the French national team from 2004 until December 2025, before being forced into early retirement from the police force after being disciplined for accepting a gift from the Real Madrid star without informing his superiors.

A banker reported this “routine gift” to the French financial intelligence unit under the Ministry of Economy in July 2024, leading to the opening of a judicial investigation into charges of unauthorized activity and money laundering of tax evasion proceeds. A formal judicial investigation was subsequently opened in January 2026. Sahnaji also faces several other charges, including fraud and money laundering of tax evasion proceeds.