The Tunisian Football Federation has launched an internal investigation into allegations that Rani Khedira offered a sum of money to an official in exchange for guaranteeing his place in the Eagles of Carthage squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Radio station Mosaique FM attributed this information to its sources, though the case remains under investigation, and no verdict or formal conviction has been issued against the player or the alleged official. The suspicion revolves around a substantial payment made to a federation member to facilitate Khedira’s call-up for the World Cup, though no definitive documents or independently verified figures have been published so far.
Khedira received FIFA approval to switch his sports nationality to represent Tunisia in March 2026, having previously played for Germany’s youth national teams, utilizing his father’s Tunisian heritage. The switch came just a few months before the World Cup—following years of recruitment efforts—allowing him to feature in all three of Tunisia’s group matches against Sweden, Japan, and the Netherlands, totaling approximately 150 minutes on the pitch.
The midfielder started against Sweden and the Netherlands and came on as a late substitute against Japan. Tunisia exited in the group stage following three defeats: 1-5, 0-4, and 1-3. Following the World Cup, the 32-year-old requested not to be called up again, ending a brief international stint of six total appearances for Tunisia, three of which were at the World Cup.
At the club level, Khedira rose through Stuttgart, Leipzig, and Augsburg before settling at Union Berlin, where he played 32 Bundesliga matches last season and scored five goals. His moral standing and international future remain hanging on the investigation’s outcome, alongside his full right to reply and present a defense.
