French police have started looking into payments made by football star Kylian Mbappe to some police officers. They want to know if the money was given for official World Cup duties or for Mbappe’s personal protection.

Reports from Le Canard Enchaine, shared by Sport, say Mbappe paid a total of £156,330 (or €180,300) in June 2023. The money went to five officers who were assigned to protect the French national football team. Four of them got around £26,000 each, and the fifth officer received over £52,000.

Mbappe had earlier promised to give his 2022 World Cup earnings to the officers who kept the team safe during the tournament. He signed a document to confirm his decision and even asked his lawyer to make sure the money wouldn’t be taxed.

Now, the police are checking to see if these payments were really meant for World Cup-related work or if they were actually for Mbappe’s personal bodyguards.

One officer is getting a lot of attention because he travelled with Mbappe to Cameroon and Vaucluse in southern France in June 2023. This has raised questions because when Mbappe was in Paris for a match against Greece, the same officer was found in Vaucluse instead of being with the team.

The police think this officer may have broken rules by going on these trips with Mbappe, as it doesn’t match official duties.

Mbappe has responded to the situation by saying he is willing to speak with investigators and answer any questions they may have.