He was the president of the 1998 World Cup. The one who, almost 25 years ago, helped lead the Blues, at home, to the top of world football. Claude Simonet, president of the French Football Federation (FFF) from 1994 to 2005, died overnight from Monday to Tuesday, according to West France. He was 92 years old.
If in his youth the native of Mortagne-au-Perche (Orne) has long surveyed the grounds at the amateur level, under the colors of Le Mans and Nantes, he especially experienced success in the offices. Alternately treasurer of the Loire-Atlantique district, then vice-president in charge of finance at FC Nantes and president of the Atlantic League, he joined the FFF in 1976, before climbing the ladder to the coveted position of president.
Sentenced for disguised accounts
A post to which he arrives “a bit by default”he recognized in Freed in 2005, the day after the disastrous defeat of the French team against Emil Kostadinov’s Bulgaria in November 1993. A final setback which deprived the Blues of the American World Cup and cost their seats to Gérard Houllier, the coach, and Jean Fournet-Fayard, the president of the “3F” at the time.
If it was under his presidency that the France team managed to inscribe its first star in its jersey, his mandate was also marked by scandals. Starting with a make-up of the accounts of the Federation, hiding a deficit of nearly 14 million euros. He was sentenced in 2007 to six months suspended prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 euros. He spoke to him in our pages of his mandate as follows: “It’s not up to me to take stock of my action, but I think I was able to make big decisions.” In all modesty.