Charged with Corruption, France's Trusted Security Chief Drags Zidane into Crisis

Mohamed Sanhadji, known as “Momo”, a 57-year-old police commander and quiet pillar of the French national team for two decades, was charged on 16 September 2026 with money laundering, active and passive corruption, influence peddling and fraud. The man who was set to join Zinedine Zidane’s staff avoided pre-trial detention thanks to a €80,000 bail, but his judicial supervision now prohibits him from any contact with the world of football.

Nicknamed “The Republic” by players, Sanhadji was considered incorruptible. Present alongside the Blues since 2004, he had weathered all the crises — the Pogba affair, Valbuena’s troubles, the Benzema and Griezmann cases — as guardian of dressing room secrets. Zidane held him in such high regard that he wanted to entrust him with his personal security in Madrid; the officer had then refused out of attachment to France.

His downfall began in summer 2025, when Le Canard enchaîné revealed a donation of €180,300 paid by Kylian Mbappé to five security officers after the World Cup in Qatar. Sanhadji received the largest share — €60,300 — without declaring it to the tax authorities. Tracfin and the IGPN seized the case. The DGPN also pointed out a statutory anomaly: assigned only 80 days a year to the FFF, he continued to receive his full civil servant salary.

By late 2025, he was forcibly retired. The judicial investigation then uncovered a wider system. Between 2020 and 2024, Sanhadji allegedly extorted over €300,000 from around fifteen international players — including Hugo Lloris, Raphaël Varane, Mattéo Guendouzi and Mbappé — by claiming an urgent need for money to purchase a primary residence in tribute to his father. Telephone wiretaps contradicted this version: the money was actually intended to finance a rental investment. Mbappé allegedly gave him €120,000 via his mother, Fayza Lamari, whose home was searched.

The requests were said to be multiple and varied — dental care, match tickets, holidays at players’ expense — and some internationals allegedly sought services from the officer in return. Meanwhile, Sanhadji maintained his police hierarchy with VIP passes to preserve his position within the Blues’ security apparatus.

For Zinedine Zidane, appointed manager in summer 2025, the affair represents a serious setback before even playing an official match: one of the 23 staff members revealed in August finds himself under judicial supervision, depriving the new manager of a man in whom he placed particular trust.