Clairefontaine is preparing to open its gates for the France squad, but Mohamed Sanhadji will not be there. The national team’s logistics and security chief has been placed under formal investigation, creating an immediate staffing problem at the start of Zinédine Zidane’s era.
The move
Sanhadji was formally charged on Wednesday and placed under judicial supervision. The conditions of that supervision bar him from entering Clairefontaine, the French Football Federation headquarters and the Stade de France.
He is therefore unable to attend Monday’s arrival of France players for their next international gathering. Erwan Le Prévost, the FFF’s deputy general director, is expected to take temporary responsibility for the logistics and security role.
The investigation concerns allegations of handling misappropriated public funds, active corruption involving a public official, active and passive influence peddling involving a public official, international passive influence peddling, passive corruption by a public official, fraud and laundering the proceeds of tax fraud.
The French season around it
The case has followed Sanhadji since 2023, after he received €60,300 from France captain Kylian Mbappé. The payment came from Mbappé’s bonus for the 2022 World Cup and was made after Sanhadji provided security during a trip to Cameroon.
The transaction was reported to Tracfin, France’s financial intelligence unit, in July 2024. That report led to an investigation and Sanhadji’s early retirement.
France must now fill more than one operational gap around Zidane’s staff. The liaison officer position remains vacant after a candidate from RAID, the French National Police’s specialist intervention unit, declined the role.
For the incoming players, the camp begins as scheduled. Behind the scenes, however, the security structure around the France team has changed abruptly before the first arrivals at Clairefontaine.
