Police Officer Sanctioned with Early Retirement over €60,300 Donation from Kylian Mbappé

A police officer assigned to the security detail of the French national football team has been sanctioned with early retirement by the General Directorate of the National Police (DGPN) after receiving a €60,300 donation from team captain Kylian Mbappé. The donation, linked to Mbappé’s 2022 World Cup bonus, was made in June 2023 and flagged by a banker to Tracfin, the French financial intelligence unit, in July 2024, sparking a judicial investigation focused on allegations including concealed work and tax fraud.

Despite an earlier disciplinary hearing in October that did not impose sanctions, the DGPN ruled on December 20 that the officer must retire early for failing to inform his superiors about the sizeable gift. The officer’s lawyer, Jean-Baptiste Soufron, has argued the donation was legal, paid by check, and did not require declaration, vowing to appeal the decision. The officer is set to continue working for the French Football Federation under a fixed-term contract through the 2026 World Cup.

Notably, four other police chiefs received €30,000 each from Mbappé following the World Cup, a gesture defended by Mbappé's entourage as fair recognition of the security teams’ efforts and carried out in line with regulations. Soufron criticized the DGPN’s sanction as undermining the IGPN’s earlier findings, which had cleared the officer of other charges after explanations were given.

The case highlights tensions around financial gifts within sports security operations and ongoing scrutiny over ethical and legal standards in French national team affairs.