Football: 5 questions to understand the great pressure on the FFF and Le Graët

What is reproached to Noël Le Graët?

The article in So Foot, published on September 8, primarily overwhelms the management of President Noël Le Graët, 80 years old and in office since 2011. Re-elected in 2021 for a new term, the Breton leader, who overcame a lymphoid leukemia, is described as a manager overwhelmed by events.

Testimonies on condition of anonymity depict him as having "

", "

", "

".

The magazine mainly evokes, on the strength of anonymous testimonies, the sending by Le Graët of SMS of a sexual nature to employees of the FFF.

According to a source interviewed by So Foot, several women have resigned from the body in recent years because they felt "

”.

Asked by AFP, Le Graët did not respond.

What is the FFF accused of?

Beyond President Le Graët, it is the entire governance of the FFF which is singled out by the magazine So Foot.

Between clan wars and tensions at the top, the monthly paints the portrait of a body described as a "

“, returning in particular to the PSE (Job safeguard plan) launched in 2021 by the general manager Florence Hardouin due to the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and which resulted in the departure of 18 employees.

The DG appears there as a strong character, authoritarian and very ambitious.

His too close proximity to the French team during the World Cup in Russia in 2018 prompted, according to the magazine, thirteen of the directors of the FFF to demand his resignation, forcing Noël le Graët to order an audit on his management, including the results were never disclosed.

So Foot also evokes expense reports that are too expensive for certain executives or possible conflict of interest in the case of Bachir Nehar, an intimate of coach Didier Deschamps, who combines the functions of

How did the FFF react?

Walled in silence on these revelations for a week, the Federation ended up reacting Thursday, after the meeting of its executive committee, by announcing the filing of a complaint "

" of the item.

The FFF did not, however, specify on which specific points it intended to file a complaint.

Asked by AFP, the publication director of the So Press group (to which So Foot belongs), Franck Annese, said Thursday that he had not received the complaint and therefore was unable to comment.

Is Le Graët threatened?

The Ministry of Sports has no legal power to "

" the president of the FFF, which could be considered an interference of political power.

The only lever available to the government remains the withdrawal of the delegation, an extreme case, considered as "

".

Le Graët, interviewed on Tuesday by L'Équipe, thus declared that he had "

" and wanted to "

".

By launching an audit of the General Inspectorate for Education, Sport and Research (IGESR) "

“, the ministry has however put enormous pressure on the FFF and its president two months before the World Cup in Qatar (November 20-December 18) where the France team must defend its title.

A poor result from the Blues, which would further weigh down the atmosphere within the body, would weaken it further and could make its situation untenable.

What impact on the France team?

As the World Cup approaches, the timing is far from ideal for the Blues and their coach Didier Deschamps.

The technician, who arrived in 2012 and whose contract expires at the end of the tournament, is very close to Le Graët and their fates could be linked in the event of a poor performance in Qatar.

Deschamps also acknowledged Thursday that it was "

" he has known to prepare for such a deadline.

"

," he added, however, criticizing the "

”.