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Criticism for a long time – and now he has lost his job: Noël Le Graët
Photo: FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Noël Le Graët is stepping down as President of the French Football Federation (FFF).
The association announced this in a press release.
"Noël Le Graët, in agreement with the Executive Committee of the FFF [...] has decided to withdraw from his duties as President of the Federation pending the final result of the examination arranged by the Ministry of Sport," the statement said.
In addition, Director General Florence Hardouin was dismissed "as a precaution".
The tasks of Le Graët, whose term of office was not supposed to end until December 2024, will be taken over temporarily by the previous Vice-President Philippe Diallo.
Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra launched an investigation into Le Graët after the official was repeatedly accused of sexual harassment.
Player advisor Sonia Souid had recently commented on this.
"He never saw me as an intermediary, but as a candy," Souid told French sports newspaper L'Equipe.
Between 2013 and 2017, Le Graët repeatedly made unwanted advances to her, including an invitation to his apartment in Paris.
Le Graët steered her there under the pretext of organizing a meeting with the association's general secretary at the time, Brigitte Henriques, on the development of women's football.
He then "made it clear to me that he wanted me to end up in his bed," Souid said.
Zidane polemic was one misstep too many
Le Graët, who was promoted to President of the French association in 2011, had also caused irritation on other issues in the past, drawing some sharp criticism: In 2019, the 81-year-old publicly stated that a break in the game was only possible in the case of racist, but not justified in the case of homophobic posters in the audience.
Le Graët triggered the latest wave of outrage with statements that were understood in France as an insult to football icon Zinédine Zidane.
Superstar Kylian Mbappé subsequently described Le Graët's dealings with the former Real Madrid coach as "disrespectful" on Twitter.
The trigger was an interview question about extending the contract with national coach Didier Deschamps and about what would have happened if Zidane had applied for the job.
'I wouldn't even have answered the phone,' Le Graët had replied.
'What should I have said to him?
'Hello sir, don't worry, find another club.
I've just agreed a contract with Didier.'"
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