The ousted president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Noël Le Graët, has resigned from his post today, following a series of scandals and controversies, including accusations of sexual harassment, the body announced today.
Noël Le Graët, 81 years old, who took over the presidency of the FFF in 2011 and whose mandate would end in 2024, had already been removed from office since January 11, temporarily replaced by Philippe Diallo, following disrespectful comments about the former international footballer French Zinédine Zidane.
On January 17, French justice announced the opening of an investigation into Le Graët on suspicion of moral and sexual harassment, following the testimony of Sonia Souid, representative of several French international players.
Le Graët reacted in a statement to the opening of the investigation, denouncing the “numerous interferences and political pressure”, in particular by the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, and denying all accusations of moral or sexual harassment or any other criminal offenses.
Noël Le Graët’s management was marked by several controversies, namely at the level of management, accusations of racism and xenophobia, and it became more acute with an audit of the FFF and with the recent criticisms of Zidane.
In early January, in an interview with RMC Sport radio, hours after the FFF had extended the contract with coach Didier Deschamps until 2026, Le Graët made disrespectful comments about Zidane, which led to critical reactions from various quarters, including the Minister of Sports.
According to the minister, Le Graët had a “failure in the role of representation” of French football, so Amélie Oudéa-Castera left a warning: “I don’t want these situations anymore. He got us used to these nonsense”.
The official pointed to some controversial phrases by the 81-year-old leader, in relation to the phenomena of racism and homophobia in football, considering that they could “shock communities”, in addition to damaging the image of France and offending the French.