Noël Le Graët’s troubled tenure as the French soccer federation’s president is over.
Amid looming allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, the 81-year-old resigned Tuesday at a meeting of the federation’s (FFF) executive committee. FFF vice president Philippe Diallo has been appointed interim president until June 10, the date of the federation’s next major assembly.
However, the FFF is not exactly chasing Le Graët out the door, with a public statement lauding the sporting and financial achievements it says took place on Le Graët’s watch.
“The FFF would like to salute the remarkable sporting and economic results of Noël Le Graët,” read the FFF’s announcement. “Since June 18, 2011, the date of his election, the men’s and women’s teams have won 11 titles and played in 6 international tournament finals.”
The FFF statement went on to say that despite the Covid-19 pandemic’s economic impact, the federation has “€56 million in equity,” and that they were able to set a new record by giving over €100 million to aid amateur clubs during this season.
The announcement comes after the French ministry of sports announced its intention to audit the FFF in September 2022 after allegations that Le Gräet had sexually harassed FFF employees emerged. Per Reuters, that audit began in mid-January, with Le Gräet denying any wrongdoing.
The FFF seemed to agree with his position, offering several rebuttals of the investigation while ostensibly announcing Le Gräet’s departure:
Regarding the audit of the General Inspectorate for Education, Sport and Research (IGESR), the FFF notes that this report does not mention any systemic failure, nor any breach of its sovereign missions. The FFF nevertheless notes that this report is based less on objective facts than on assessments which have sometimes led to a disproportionate denigration of the body.
The FFF also regrets the lack of a real adversarial procedure and the failure to take into account the many observations made by the Federation on the subjects which concern it in terms of governance and the fight against gender-based and sexual violence, with supporting figures and examples.
The FFF therefore wishes to reaffirm its strong commitment against gender-based and sexual violence as part of its license protection policy. This commitment was and remains a priority.
The harassment scandal is far from the only issue pertaining to Le Gräet. In light of the fact that his term as FFF president would end in 2024, he was widely criticized for extending Didier Deschamps’ contract as head coach of the men’s national team to 2026.
Le Gräet drew more public ire after saying that he wouldn’t even take a call from Zinedine Zidane when asked if the legendary France playmaker had a chance at coaching the national team. Le Gräet — who was accused of a “lack of respect” by Kylian Mbappé in the ensuing controversy — eventually apologized for what he called “clumsy” remarks.
Most recently, Le Gräet had staunchly backed Corinne Diacre, the under-fire women’s national team coach. That situation reached a turning point over the weekend, when team captain Wendie Renard and attacking stars Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto all said they would not represent France until changes were made.
Amid the fallout from Le Gräet’s resignation, the FFF will reportedly postpone a decision on Diacre’s status until a March 9 meeting.
Defiant Le Gräet still holds power
Le Gräet has indicated that he will pursue the “cancellation” of the sports ministry’s audit and claims through an attorney that he will sue sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra for defamation.
Le Gräet’s lawyer Thierry Marembert asserted to France 5 that the report “violated all the principles of impartiality, of adversarial proceedings,” and claimed that Oudéa-Castéra had manipulated investigators. “She lied and we are going to sue her for defamation,” declared Marembert.
Meanwhile, though Le Gräet may have left the FFF, he will still hold major sway in the soccer world. He remains a member of the FIFA Council, which is the main decision-making group at the world’s governing body in the sport.
In January 2022, Le Gräet was named as the Paris delegate for FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Per an FFF statement announcing Infantino’s choice, FIFA’s office in Paris will coordinate with national associations and provide “the strategic base for football development activities through the FIFA Forward program.” The Paris office is also home to the FIFA Clearing House, which the governing body created as part of an attempt to reform the global transfer system.
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