An endless crisis at the FFF? After the official submission of the audit report of the French Football Federation this Wednesday, February 15, the time has come for decision-making. But according to our colleagues from Le Parisien, the FFF does not seem to be in a hurry. Indeed, the executive committee ("Comex") of the federation will not meet until February 28, at 10 a.m. Initially, it was planned that a Comex meeting would be organized following the delivery of the audit report. It is not so. And for good reason, "some hope that this Comex will never take place so as not to have to take a position eye to eye", explains a source familiar with the matter on a daily basis.
This expectation is surprising, since last January, it took 48 hours for the staff of the French Football Federation to meet and decide on the withdrawal of Noël Le Graët. And this, after his shocking remarks against Zinedine Zidane. At the same time, the general manager of the FFF had been laid off, Florence Hardouin. His dismissal should be notified to him after his preliminary meeting, set for February 21.
For the time being, no date has been set in the Le Graët camp about a possible resignation. Still, he will not complete his current mandate, which runs until the end of 2024. According to our colleagues, Noël Le Graët's objective is to influence the appointment of his successor. Thus, the current interim president, Philippe Diallo, is considered too "consensual" and "technocratic" by NLG and those close to him. Of the 14 members of the Comex, only one still speaks freely. This is Eric Borghini who believes that we "cannot take the FFF hostage".
How can the crisis in French football be ended? Several avenues are open: the resignation of a majority of the members of the Comex, which would thus lead to the dismissal of the latter. Alternatively, the Comex - like the National Ethics Council of the FFF - can appeal to the disciplinary committee of the federation. The latter could then push Noël Le Graët to resign without taking the entire "Comex" with him. In the latter case, the procedure is longer, criticize our colleagues.
In addition to the Noël Le Graët component, another could prolong the crisis, at least on the media level. Indeed, according to Le Parisien, Florence Hardouin intends to speak between the end of February and the beginning of March, a few days after her dismissal.
