Fayza Al-Ammari, the mother of French star Kylian Mbappe, avoided being formally charged in the corruption case known as “Mohamed Sinhaji”, after she was subjected to interrogation before three investigating judges in Paris, last Friday, and the session ended with her being placed under a legal status known in the French judiciary as “auxiliary witness”, in a new development in a case that affected a number of prominent figures in French football, and included hearing from the Real Madrid striker himself.
According to the French newspaper L'Equipe, Fayza Al-Ammari appeared before the judges in charge of investigating the case of Mohamed Sinhaji, the former policeman responsible for the security of the French national team during the period from 2004 to 2026, who was officially charged on September 16, related to corruption, abuse of influence, embezzlement of public funds, fraud, and money laundering related to tax evasion.
Placing Fayza Al-Amari as an “auxiliary witness” means that there are indications that make it possible for her to participate in some of the facts under investigation, without the judges at this stage having strong and consistent evidence that would justify bringing a formal accusation against her.
This development represents a legal breakthrough for the Mbappe family, given the risks that the mother of the French national team captain was facing, especially since the investigations are dealing with accusations related to her requesting Sinhaji’s intervention to help her obtain four entry visas.
Lawyer Marie-Alex Cano Bernard, who is defending Fayza Al-Ammari, refused to comment on the information related to the results of the interrogation session, when she was contacted on Tuesday evening.
The same lawyer is defending Mbappé, 27 years old, whose testimony in the case was also heard by investigators.
The information revealed that Mbappe's presence in Paris on September 30, accompanied by his girlfriend, the Spanish actress Esther Exposito, was not only related to a visit to a nightclub, as was reported by Spanish media at the time, especially since the player was suffering from an injury that sparked criticism because of his night outing.
The French star went to the headquarters of the General Inspectorate of the French National Police in Paris, to answer investigators’ questions about his relationship with Mohamed Sinhaji and the nature of the dealings that brought them together.
The hearing was not limited to Mbappe and his mother, as the investigations included dozens of figures from the world of football and entertainment, including Franck Ribery, Noel Le Graet, the former president of the French Football Federation, and Philippe Diallo, the current president of the federation, in addition to the comedian Jamal Debbouze.
Investigators suspect that a number of these figures benefited from services provided by Sinhaji outside the scope of his official responsibilities as an employee of the French police.
The case highlights financial transfers linked to Mbappe, after it was found that the player provided an amount of 60,300 euros to Sinhaji in June 2023, from the reward he received after participating with the French national team in the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
One month after the financial transfer, Mbappé traveled to Cameroon, accompanied by Senhaji, during a family visit to the country from which his father hails.
Investigators are seeking to determine the nature of this trip, and whether during it Sinhaji assumed a paid private security mission, outside the framework of his official duties in the French police.
This point gains importance in the investigation, given the employment status of Sinhaji, who was assuming security responsibilities related to the French national team, and whether he took advantage of his official position to provide special services in exchange for sums of money or privileges.
Sinhaji was subjected to formal indictment procedures on September 16, against the backdrop of a wide range of suspected incidents, including concealing the proceeds of embezzlement of public funds, active and passive corruption linked to public officials, and the exploitation of influence inside and outside France, in addition to fraud and money laundering resulting from tax evasion.
Judicial investigations are continuing to determine the nature of the relationships that linked the former security official to the French national team players, officials, and other public figures, and whether some of the services and financial amounts exchanged constitute criminal violations.
While no official charges were brought against Fayza Al-Amari or Mbappe according to published information, the continuation of investigations and the listening to dozens of figures reflects the breadth of the scope of the case, which moved from questioning a former security official in the French national team to examining his network of financial and personal relationships with a number of the most prominent names in French football.
The lawyer for one of the sons of Argentine Diego Armando Maradona, a civil party in the trial of the football legend's death in 2020, called for harsher prison sentences than those requested by the Public Prosecution against the main defendants in the medical team.
The session also witnessed mixed evaluations from the lawyers, indicating that responsibility is still unclear despite the passage of 6 months since the trial. One of the lawyers called for the imprisonment of the addiction specialist who treated the Argentine football star for 12 years, while another called for his acquittal.
In the San Isidro Court, north of the capital, Buenos Aires, Mario Baudry, the lawyer of Diego Fernando (13 years old), known as “Dieguito”, Maradona’s youngest son from his wife Veronica Ojeda, demanded that the star’s trusted doctor, Leopoldo Luque, and medical coordinator, Nancy Forlini, be imprisoned for 16 years, and that psychiatrist Agostina Kosachov be imprisoned for 14 years.
All of this results in a ban on practicing their profession for a period of no less than 10 years.
Confronting these three, who are considered the most influential or decision-makers in Maradona's life during his final days, the Public Prosecution on Thursday demanded prison sentences of 12, 10 and 8 years, respectively.
“From the first moment, Loki knew what was going to happen,” Beaudry said. He knew that Maradona would die because of the treatment he was receiving, but he did nothing.” He also demanded that Carlos Dias, a psychologist and addiction treatment specialist, be imprisoned for 12 years, while the Public Prosecution demanded that he be imprisoned for only five years.
Boudry also requested, in the event of conviction, the immediate imprisonment of the four defendants, which the Public Prosecution did not request, in order to avoid the risk of them escaping justice.
As the prosecution did, it demanded the imprisonment of nursing coordinator Mariano Perrone and nurse Ricardo Almiron for four years, while demanding the acquittal of Pedro de Spagna, an outside doctor who saw Maradona only once during the two-week period of his recovery that claimed his life. Baudry, Veronica Ojeda’s current partner, opened the closing arguments for the civil parties, then the defense, which will continue until the end of October, which is the seventh month of the trial related to the death of “Des” (No. 10).
Seven health care workers are being tried on charges of medical negligence that may have led to death during Maradona's treatment at home after undergoing head surgery.
After Boudry, Felix Linfante, the lawyer of Jana (30 years old), Maradona’s daughter who was recognized in 2014, spoke, accusing Dr. Luque, whom he considered guilty of “dereliction of his duty towards him.”
The prosecutor insisted: “Loki did not go to see the patient, but only asked him if he was still alive. He knew everything was going wrong, yet he decided to give it up. “He accepted Maradona’s death,” demanding that he be imprisoned for 12 years.
In his closing argument on Thursday, the public prosecutor denounced the “organizational chaos” of the medical team, which led to the 1986 World Cup star in Mexico being left in a “state of neglect” and “to his fate,” despite the presence of warning signs, such as heart failure, edema, dropsy, and others. Linfante also stressed, citing the testimony of an expert in the trial, Tuesday, on Nancy Forlini’s responsibility, saying: “One can also be killed by negligence.” He stressed that if “accurate daily examinations had been conducted, all symptoms would have been discovered,” calling for her to be imprisoned for 10 years.
Despite this, he demanded the acquittal of psychiatrist Diaz, who, despite his “volatile behavior,” had “little decision-making powers” within the medical team.
Maradona died at the age of 60 after a cardiorespiratory attack accompanied by pulmonary edema. He was found dead on November 25, 2020, in his bed in a house he rented for his convalescence.
After closing arguments, sentencing is expected to be postponed to a later date.
Gianni Infantino, President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), faces an upcoming accountability session before members of the Federation Council, on Thursday, regarding accusations of not properly disclosing an additional amount amounting to 1.3 million pounds sterling (about 1.76 million dollars), which he obtained from one of the companies affiliated with “FIFA”, outside of his announced annual compensation package, in the latest chapter of pressure besieging the president of the international football institution before the presidential elections scheduled for March 2027.
According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, members of the FIFA Council pledged to ask Infantino strict questions about what has become known as the “second salary,” after records submitted to the US IRS showed that he received $1.76 million. The equivalent of 1.3 million pounds sterling, from a company affiliated with the International Federation that was responsible for organizing the last edition of the World Cup, without this amount appearing in the Federation’s annual report.
FIFA had announced that Infantino’s total compensation for 2024 amounted to 4.27 million Swiss francs. That is, about 3.88 million pounds sterling, which raised questions about the nature of the additional amount, and whether it should be included in the financial disclosures related to the remuneration of the President of the International Federation.
FIFA regulations stipulate the necessity of announcing the individual compensation received by the federation’s president, which is the text relied upon by those demanding to clarify the nature of the financial payment, and the extent to which the method of disclosing it is compatible with regulatory requirements.
Thursday's meeting, which includes Infantino and 36 other members of the FIFA Council, is expected to witness discussions that go beyond the issue of additional funds, after time was allocated to review a series of controversial files that surrounded the president of the federation during the last year.
At the forefront of the figures expected to raise questions during the meeting is Debbie Hewitt, President of the English Football Association and Vice President of FIFA, who had previously sent a letter to Infantino asking him to disclose all documents and files related to the project to sell a share of the business and the rights to organize the World Cup, which was later abandoned.
Hewitt also requested the submission of documents related to the decision to suspend the suspension imposed on Folarin Balogun, the US national team striker, an issue that, in turn, raised questions about the decision-making mechanisms within the International Federation.
The Council's agenda also includes an item dedicated to discussing the FIFA Peace Prize, which sparked widespread controversy after Infantino awarded its first edition to US President Donald Trump last December, with a decision he took alone.
The FIFA President may find himself facing embarrassing questions about the award, especially since he has not yet submitted a nomination to the Federation Council to win this year’s edition, despite it being presented as an annual award.
Trump had described receiving the first FIFA Peace Prize as one of the greatest honors he had received in his life.
Sources within the International Federation Council revealed that the issue of additional salary, which was raised by the British newspaper “The Times” for the first time on Monday, has become one of the issues certain to be raised during the meeting.
In the face of these accusations, FIFA issued a statement on Tuesday in which it categorically denied committing any financial violations or failing to disclose the required information.
The International Federation confirmed that it does not pay a second salary to its president, and that it adheres to all reporting and disclosure requirements related to financial compensation.
He explained that the annual compensation that Infantino receives, in addition to other contractual benefits, is determined by an independent subcommittee specialized in compensation, and not by the president of the federation himself.
FIFA stressed its strong rejection of allegations related to concealing financial information or violating its statute, stressing that its accounts are subject to independent audit, and that all disclosures comply with the tax systems in force in Switzerland, the United States, and other countries.
He added that his focus is on the Federation Council meeting, on Thursday, and discussing ways to develop international football, following what he described as the most successful World Cup in history.
The issue of the additional amount coincided with the revelation of new details regarding a commercial agreement concluded by FIFA to rent an office inside Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York City.
The New York Times revealed that Infantino was behind the choice of the location, where the International Federation rented an office on the seventeenth floor, under a contract lasting more than 7 years, and worth about 4 million dollars.
The agreement raised additional questions after it became clear that the office remained empty many times, despite the large financial value of the lease.
This issue adds a new dimension to the relationship between Infantino and Trump, especially in light of the previous controversy over awarding the US President the FIFA Peace Prize, and the accompanying criticism of the method of decision-making within the international institution.
Despite mounting pressure, Infantino is heading towards running in the upcoming FIFA presidential elections without a competitor so far, after no official candidate has come forward to face him.
Michelle Kang, owner of the London City Lionesses Women's Club, stands out among the potential names that were considered for candidacy, among a list of figures that were proposed as alternatives to the current president of the federation.
The deadline for submitting nominations ends on November 18, while the regulations require that any candidate obtain the recommendation of at least five national federations to enter the presidential race.
As Infantino approaches a possible new presidential term, Thursday's meeting puts the FIFA Council before a test regarding its ability to hold its president accountable regarding financial disclosures and controversial administrative decisions, at a time when the international organization confirms the soundness of its procedures and its full commitment to the regulations governing its work.
