Noël Le Graët is no longer president of the French Football Federation. In withdrawal since January 11, the leader presented his resignation during the extraordinary executive committee of the federation. This was accepted by the other committee members. He had been in office since 2011 and was serving his fourth term which was due to end in 2024.
Noël Le Graët had convened his executive committee this Tuesday, February 28, at 10 a.m., in Paris. The 81-year-old businessman's resignation was expected, after accusations of harassment, a damning audit assignment and several slip-ups.
Noël Le Graët made "the right decision for the FFF and for himself", reacted Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra on Tuesday in a statement to Agence France-Presse. "I have confidence in the future of 3F, in the quality of its teams and in the ability of its authorities to learn the lessons of recent months to emerge stronger, in the service of French football," he said. she added at the end of this standoff of several months with Noël Le Graët.
The audit report of the General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research (IGESR), delivered on February 15, had limited the room for maneuver of the Breton, released for months by the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, for whom "the status quo is impossible". According to the inspectors, Le Graët "no longer has the necessary legitimacy to administer and represent French football", particularly given his "inappropriate behavior [...] towards women".
During Tuesday's Comex, the FFF denounced an audit report that "sometimes led to a disproportionate disparagement of the body", regretting the "lack of real contradictory procedure", in a press release. In this audit, the inspectors had pointed out in particular that "the policy to combat gender-based and sexual violence in the federal network lacked effectiveness and efficiency".
Noël Le Graët will seek the "cancellation" of this audit report in court, his lawyer Thierry Marembert announced on France 5 on Tuesday. "We are going to ask for the cancellation of this report which violated all the principles of impartiality, contradictory, before the administrative judges, "explained Me Marembert in the program C dans l'air.
The resigning president of the French Football Federation will "sue for defamation" the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, also indicated Thierry Marembert on Tuesday. "We are going to sue her for defamation before the Court of Justice of the Republic", affirmed Me Marembert, accusing the minister of having "lied" on the content of the audit report of the General Inspectorate of Education, sport and research (IGESR).
"NLG" has also been targeted since mid-January by an investigation for moral and sexual harassment. And if the Breton denied all these accusations of harassment and denounced a "biased" audit mission, he seems to have realized the obvious: his "Comex", once so faithful, no longer supported him.
The vice-president, Philippe Diallo, will ensure the interim until the federal assembly of June and several internal sources would even see him extending his interim beyond. While the women's selection has been in turmoil in recent days after several players announced that they will no longer wear the blue jersey as long as Corinne Deacon is at its head, Philippe Diallo spoke about the situation. The future of the coach of the Blue will not be decided on Tuesday, but "in a very short time", after hearings conducted by a working group of the executive committee of the Federation, he announced.
"I wished […] that a group of Comex members could audition [the stakeholders] and make a certain number of recommendations in a very short time to best prepare for the World Cup" in Australia and Nova Scotia. Zeeland (July 20-August 20), explained Philippe Diallo, who expects conclusions within "eight or fifteen days". Proving the players right by dismissing Deacon would amount to giving them power, a dangerous case law. But inaction in the face of an unprecedented slingshot would undoubtedly destroy the chances of a title in Oceania...
Jean-Michel Aulas, head of women's football at the "Comex" and president of OL, has in any case chosen his camp. "It seems difficult to me objectively to fight against" the opinion of the players, he explains to L'Équipe. Will the "Comex" follow this advice?
Several members of the FFF's Executive Committee said on Tuesday that Noël Le Graët was going to take on responsibilities at the Paris office of Fifa, a role he already occupies, however, put into perspective a source with knowledge of the file. The International Football Federation (Fifa), requested by AFP, has not confirmed any new function for Noël Le Graët, appointed in January 2022 delegate to Paris by President Gianni Infantino.
“The president [Le Graët, NDLR] was appointed to FIFA by Gianni Infantino. He will head the Paris office. He was appointed because of his skills, expertise and experience," said Éric Borghini, president of the Mediterranean League and member of the FFF's "Comex," on Tuesday.
This official was speaking at the end of the meeting of the "government" of the "3F" which resulted in the resignation of Le Graët, weakened for several months by accusations of moral and sexual harassment and several slippages. "He will continue his career, he has a job starting at Fifa," said Vincent Labrune, president of the Professional Football League (LFP).
"He will have responsibilities at Fifa, he is very close to Gianni Infantino, they have an office near the Hôtel de la Marine, I think it's very good for him", also indicated the President of Strasbourg Marc Keller, another member of the "Comex".
“Gianni Infantino seized an opportunity to use the skills of Christmas, for his part explained the president of Lyon Jean-Michel Aulas. Fifa has been decentralizing competences for a while, so it's a good thing for Paris, because it means that there will be a very important office in Paris, looking towards the future. If it does indirectly good at Christmas in a difficult time… It is rather a good thing. In his eyes, I felt that he appreciated the outstretched hand of Fifa. »
Noël Le Graët, member of the FIFA Council since 2019, already holds positions in the Paris offices of the body since he was appointed in January 2022 delegate of Gianni Infantino in the French capital.
"Noël Le Graët was not a good president of the FFF," Frédéric Thiriez, ex-boss of the Professional Football League (LFP), told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday after the leader's resignation. “He was a good president of the Professional League [1991-2000]. We were quite close at the time because we had the same ideas […]. But I think he was not a good president of the Federation because he was not interested in the core business of the Federation which is amateur football,” he explained.
Despite the notable financial successes of Noël Le Graët, Frédéric Thiriez regretted that the number of licensees, which increased from 1.96 million to 2.13 million during the Breton leader's mandate (2011-2023), had " not increased". "It's good to make money, but you have to redistribute it, especially in amateur football, and that has not been the case," he added. But it's useless to overwhelm him. He made a tough decision but now we have to move on,” he added.
"This resignation must be the first act of a profound refoundation, not its culmination", also affirmed Frédéric Thiriez. "Because the departure of a man will not solve all the problems of the FFF, far from it. It is urgent that the Federation gets back on track by focusing on its fundamentals, in particular amateur football which is struggling, and by transforming its governance which is neither democratic nor transparent, "he argued. .
