He held his first words this Thursday at the headquarters of the FFF.
With the ambition to reassure and put on the costume of the boss of French football.
Philippe Diallo, 59, propelled to the interim head of the French Football Federation, is a shadow actor but a connoisseur of the mysteries of football for three decades.
Unknown to the general public, he led for nearly 30 years (from 1992 to 2021) the Union of Professional Football Clubs (UCPF), the employers' union of professional clubs, and played an important role in particular in transfer reforms. players, showing political skill.
This native of Saint-Nazaire, son of a Senegalese boxing champion, joined the "
3F
" by joining Noël Le Graët's list when the Breton leader was re-elected in March 2021. General Treasurer on the Executive Committee (Comex) of the federation, he climbed the organizational chart by becoming deputy vice-president in December 2021, replacing Brigitte Henriques, elected head of the National Olympic Sports Committee (CNOSF).
A “brilliant” guy and considered a file man
"
Diallo is a brilliant guy, close to professional football, he made a very good impression at the federal assemblies when he was treasurer
," said a source close to the FFF.
This technocrat with a degree in public law and business law also has international experience as a single judge in the Fifa dispute resolution chamber since 2003. Since 2013, he has also been at the head of the Social Council of the Sports Movement ( Cosmos), an employers' organization bringing together several thousand structures (clubs, leagues, event organizers, etc.).
A sign of his influence behind the scenes, the name of Philippe Diallo came up several times in the press as a possible president of the Professional Football League (LFP), notably in 2016 when electing the successor to Frédéric Thiriez.
Without this discreet man, who does not run the press, never officially applying.
"
He is very fine politically
", greets a source close to the sports movement who recognizes "
an unparalleled knowledge of the files
" and "
a very fair understanding of the political workings
".
While emphasizing “
his extreme discretion, even his solitary character, which can be perceived as a defect
”.
An anti-Le Graët in communication
For Frédéric Jaillant, former journalist and communication officer for the LFP under the Thiriez presidency, Diallo is “
one of the least known personalities in French football but undoubtedly one of the most powerful and influential.
It is both pragmatic and political
.
“
It will be an anti-Le Graët in communication, he adds.
His thing is not the big sentences that will divide the world of football.
He will speak little and, when he does, it will be when he has something to say.
»
In recent months, the deputy vice-president had endeavored to clear up the many controversies surrounding the federation, announcing for example a reflection to create a compensation fund for victims of accidents at work on the construction sites of the World Cup in Qatar.
Now at the head of the federation – at least – until the next executive committee, Diallo will have the mission of stabilizing a weakened body.
“
He has no relay, he will not be able to stay, he will just do the interim
”, however judges another source close to the FFF.
Conversely, Frédéric Jaillant describes a man “
ambitious by virtue of his training and his background
”, who will be difficult to dislodge.
"
Once he is in office, we will see that it is + the right man at the right place + (the right person in the right place, editor's note), it will be obvious to everyone
", according to him.