Noël Le Graët, for almost twelve years president of the French Football Federation (FFF), has finally thrown in the towel this Tuesday and has resigned from his position. The Breton Le Graët has not survived the accusations of sexual harassment leveled against him by FFF employees or other recent controversies such as the contempt shown towards Zinedine Zidane.
A few hours after the resignation was made official, however, it has been known that the boss of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has appointed Le Graët, 81, head of his office in Paris. According to Éric Borghini, a member of the FFF executive committee, they have signed Le Graët “because of his skills, knowledge and experience”. The reasons that have led to the fall of the sports leader in France do not seem to weigh on the highest level of world football.
The political and media pressure against Le Graët has been very strong in recent weeks. The power of him had eroded. The French Government itself, through the mouth of its spokesman, Olivier Véran, had intervened eloquently, in the midst of the FFF’s crisis, to request that the organization have “a president up to the task.” The message was therefore clear: Le Graët had to leave for the good of French football and the image of the country.
Despite the fact that Le Graët had provisionally withdrawn from his post on January 11, leaving Philipe Diallo as interim, the veteran leader believed it was still possible to reinstall himself in power. But an official report on his management and the accusations against him, prepared by the Ministry of Sports, presented severe conclusions that were incompatible with his continuing at the helm of the federation. Le Graët said yesterday that he could not continue because he lacked authority in these circumstances. His resignation would allow him to better defend himself against the accusations.
The executive committee of the FFF had no choice but to ratify the resignation, in a quick meeting that some of the participants described as “historic” and “moving”, due to the long reign of Le Graët and the change of era that his departure supposes.
The outgoing president was already very touched when a new controversy made his situation even more untenable. After the World Cup in Qatar, Le Graët made some surprisingly derogatory comments towards Zinedine Zidane and the possibility that the former Real Madrid coach would go to train the Brazilian team. For years, the idea that Zidane, a hero and myth for the French fans, coaches the blues, has been considered, although that perspective has moved away after the renewal of Didier Deschamps. Le Graët’s statements, from which he later excused himself, suggested that he was not considering him for the position.
