For the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, “the status quo is impossible” concerning Noël Le Graët, president of the French Football Federation overwhelmed by the conclusions of the audit mission, Wednesday February 15, pointing out his “behavioral deviations” and his “inappropriate public positions”.
The inspection mission commissioned by the Ministry of Sports delivered its verdict after final hearings and two weeks granted to Le Graët as well as to the general manager Florence Hardouin (layoff) and to the executive committee of the FFF to respond to the charges.
“Given the failings in terms of governance, his seriously inappropriate behavior towards women, I can only endorse the conclusion of the report: he no longer has the necessary legitimacy to administer and represent French football”said Amélie Oudéa-Castéra during a press conference.
Noël Le Graët should make his position known during an extraordinary Comex
Behalf “autonomy of federations”, the Minister of Sports did not explicitly call for the resignation of the 81-year-old leader, in office since 2011 at the head of the most powerful sports federation in France. But his words let his thoughts transpire: “The observation is clear and everyone knows what I think of it”.
The ball is in the court of the president, withdrawn since January 11 and pushed to resign by some of his relatives. He should make his position known during an extraordinary Comex soon to be convened. The leader can decide to give up his apron, under pressure from his former running mates, or to cling to his position.
To make him leave, the members of the Comex would have no choice but to resign themselves to provoke elections, a radical hypothesis that some no longer exclude.
Four months of investigation
The French football boss has been in the storm for several weeks, weakened by his clumsy statements about the icon Zinédine Zidane and by testimonies from women blaming him for inappropriate behavior. His “behavioral drifts are incompatible with the performance of duties and the requirement to set an example that is attached to it”write the inspectors in the summary of their report, made public by the executive.
The document from the General Inspectorate for Education, Sport and Research (IGESR), dated Wednesday, points to “inappropriate public positions”, “inappropriate behavior (…) towards women” in particular through “SMS ambiguous for some and clearly sexual in nature for others”.
“The hearings conducted by the mission have shown that the inappropriate and insulting nature of Mr. Le Graët’s remarks can be accentuated by excessive alcohol consumption”they write again, after more than four months of investigation and more than a hundred testimonies collected.