The sky darkens a little more above the premises of the French Football Federation in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.
On October 14, an article in the
New York Times
denounced "a toxic corporate culture" within the institution undermined by deep internal struggles.
The authority of the director general, Florence Hardouin was questioned by 13 directors (out of 17) in a petition accusing the leader of harassment during the summer of 2020. This is not all.
According to the American daily, men would have used "frequently sexist language and made suggestive remarks in the direction of female members."
Faced with this situation, the president of the "3F", Noël Le Graët, whose relations with Florence Hardouin deteriorated, ordered an audit last September to assess "the dysfunctions and strained working relations within the team. management ”whose results, according to
Le Monde
,“ were not shared with the employees and elected officials of the federation ”, proof of a more than thinking atmosphere within the federation.
The Team
tried to find out more about possible dysfunctions at the top of the management but the FFF did not wish to answer the questions, considering that they had "already been the subject of special treatment (and of responses) ”.
But the daily took the damning testimony of an employee who was harassed in 2018 during a nightclub outing.
A skid during a nightclub party
Florence Hardouin and Noël Le Graët during the 2018 World Cup.
The facts take place during the FIFA World Cup in Russia after the third match of the Blues against Denmark (0-0).
A 25-year-old woman working in the finance department said: “I felt that someone was grabbing me by the braid of my hair.
The same person brings me back to her and sticks me against her.
And there, I see that it is Marc Varin.
I say to myself: quagmire.
He tries to say goodnight to me by kissing me.
What do you want me to do?
I am 1.57 m, he is much straighter than me, I find myself trapped. "
The general manager, Florence Hardouin had already been alerted to the inappropriate behavior of some officials in the past, especially during the return flight after the Blues match against Argentina (4-3).
"Some directors drop their shirts, are a little heavy with the flight attendants," says
L'Equipe,
relying on the testimony of a passenger.
The sanction is then immediate: Hardouin deprived of the following match against Uruguay certain directors implicated.
But the general manager wants above all to clarify the matter of the nightclub.
She launched an internal investigation and alerted the labor inspectorate while at the same time the victim filed a complaint for "sexual assault" and "sexual harassment."
Marc Varin called to order, justice classifies the complaint without follow-up
Questioned by the police, Marc Varin admitted to having been able to make "reflections on the clothing" of his collaborator in CDD but denies having "tried to kiss her".
Varin had to be convincing since the justice dismissed the complaint considering that the facts denounced were "insufficiently characterized".
The report of the labor inspectorate, obtained by
L'Equipe
does not say quite the same thing by evoking: "behavior that goes far beyond the conventions governing relations between manager and subordinates by using allusions, repeated words and gestures with a sexual connotation ”.
Florence Hardouin finally sent "a call to order" to her financial director.
The complainant, who left since the FFF, reacted with bitterness: "I think she was sincere when she told me to want to follow me in this affair, admits Raphaëlle. But perhaps she suffered pressures. "
According to the daily, some employees of the French Football Federation criticize Florence Hardouin "for not having been more severe".
A position that was obviously not shared by Noël Le Graët.
L'Equipe
, says that the big boss of French football wanted to solve the problem internally, away from prying eyes and ears, in order to avoid any unpacking.
On this point, it's failed.
The bomb explodes two years later and could do great damage.
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