“It is high time to breathe new democratic dynamics”

2023-05-20 15:00:11

PIt has been two months since the final report of the mission of the General Inspectorate for Education, Sport and Research (GESR) relating to the management of the French Football Federation (FFF) has been made public. This report is damning for federal governance as a whole, deemed “failing”the functioning of the executive committee (comex, the decision-making body of the FFF) is particularly denounced and “illustrates a weakness in the exercise of democracy”.

Since 2011, only about forty professional clubs as well as major voters have voted directly every four years for the FFF elections, while the 19,000 amateur clubs active at the time were excluded from the system.

Going from 19,000 structures in 2011 to 12,000 in 2023, the FFF has seen 7,000 amateur clubs disappear!

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Thus, for twelve years, without dialogue or trust, the FFF has completely cut itself off from the realities and expectations of the leaders of amateur football. These enthusiasts take on public service missions on a voluntary basis, to continue to support structures that contribute to social cohesion and territorial balance.

Opacity

However, rather than implementing the recommendations of the IGESR report to strengthen democracy and apply the spirit of law of March 2, 2022 aimed at democratizing sport in France, the clubs are kept away from discussions on the future governance of the FFF and opacity reigns around the working group devoted to the modalities of the next elective assembly of the comex.

These methods confirm the weaknesses and failings of this executive committee, unable to re-establish peaceful, far-sighted and balanced governance between the professional world and the amateur world. French football is at a crossroads in its history. Its model is out of breath, like its clubs, and the chaotic management of the FFF unfortunately offers neither prospects to our licensees nor hope to our volunteers.

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This is why, in the best interests of French football, it is high time to breathe new democratic dynamics, requested by the French Amateur Football Association (AFFA) for more than twelve years and finally imposed by the legislator , since the law of March 2, 2022.

Indeed, three essential elements for the proper functioning of a democracy within football have been in crisis for many years: the representative dimension, the trust linking those who govern and those who are governed, the legitimacy of decisions taken at the top to apply downstairs.

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