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Noel Le Graet is no longer French Soccer Federation (FFF) president after he announced his resignation at Tuesday’s executive committee meeting. The 81-year-old was partially retired by his peers earlier this year after a bizarre show of disrespect towards national treasure Zinedine Zidane. Though the news was less final for Corinne Diacre, the head coach for the France women’s national team. With Le Graet gone, her fate will now be decided at a March 9 meeting.
The current tempest at FFF was brought to a head last Friday when several women’s national team players, including iconic defender Wendie Renard announced they’d be ‘stepping back’ from the team if changes were not made. But although that was when things bubbled over, the situation in French soccer had been boiling for some time.
Before the Zidane comments Le Graet forced through Didier Deschamps’ contract extension after Les Bleus’ FIFA 2022 World Cup final run when Zidane was available to potentially replace Deschamps. The former French supremo lost any remaining credibility and respect when he went on a staggering rant when asked about Zidane as a possible alternative to Deschamps after the deal was announced.
Le Graet was also targeted in an audit of the FFF after waves of serious allegations of cover-ups of sexual misconduct and even sexual abuse. Failure to address these issues cost director general Florence Hardouin her job for her role in the scandals before this week’s meeting as well as Parisian regional league chief Jamel Sandjak.
Sports minister Amelie Oudea Castera had already hinted that the audit was bad news for the likes of Le Graet and urged him to “do the right thing.” The Frenchman has now confirmed his resignation and interim president Philippe Diallo will remain in place until Jun. 10 when there is a federal assembly which should determine a long-term solution.
“Noel Le Graet announced to the Executive Committee of the FFF this Tuesday Feb. 28 his decision to leave office,” read an FFF statement. “Vice-president Philippe Diallo will act as interim FFF president until Jun. 10, the date of the next federal assembly. The FFF would like to salute the remarkable sporting and economic results of Noel Le Graet. Since Jun. 18 of 2011, the men’s and women’s teams have won 11 titles and played in 6 international tournament finals. French talent development is now considered amongst the best in the world. Economic results also enabled the doubling of aid to amateur soccer to reach an historic record of $110 million this season.”
“Regarding the audit by the General Inspectorate for Education, Sport and Research (IGESR), the FFF notes that this report does not mention any systemic failures, nor any breaches of its sovereign missions,” added French soccer’s governing body. “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 procedure and the failure to take into account the many observations made by the FFF on subjects concerning governance and the fight against sexism as well as sexual violence. The FFF therefore wishes to reaffirm its strong commitment against gender-based and sexual violence. The FFF will also continue work to reform its governance and the FFF undertakes to retain all the useful recommendations of this audit.”
However, in a fine example of failing upwards, Le Graet’s disgraced FFF exit has been rewarded with a role at FIFA at the behest of none other than global soccer’s governing body president Gianni Infantino: “The president has been appointed to FIFA by Infantino,” said Eric Borghini of the FFF executive committee. “He will oversee the Paris office. He has been appointed because of his skills, expertise and experience.”
Olympique Lyonnais supremo Jean Michel Aulas could be a candidate to replace Le Graet from June onwards while RC Strasbourg Alsace chief Marc Keller has long been considered the heir to Le Graet’s throne at the FFF. There is also the possibility that the opening offers hope to Michel Platini to get himself back involved in the soccer world after leaving UEFA in disgrace.
Tuesday will not be the day of reckoning for Corinne Diacre, though, who was expected to be dismissed as the head coach of France’s national women’s team after a raft of retirements led by captain Renard last week. According to L’Equipe, Le Graet’s resignation has pushed a decision on Diacre’s future back to Thursday Mar. 9 because of the executive committee’s inability to hire or fire national team bosses. Aulas (representing women’s soccer for the FFF), Keller, and Diallo, as well as Aline Riera, and Laure Georges, will study the case as the designated group before making a decision.
