The lawyers of the president of the French Football Federation Noël Le Graët, pinned down by the provisional conclusions of an audit mission on the FFF, denounced Thursday a “report that looks like an indictment” and a “legitimacy trial”, ensuring in a statement that the leader “will firmly defend his honor”.
“The virulence of the words used with regard to Mr. Le Graët is surprising in view of the emptiness of its factual basis, which rests on elements and testimonies truncated and anonymous ”, assure AFP Mes Florence Bourg and Thierry Marembert, lawyers for Le Graët, withdrawn since January 11. The latter has not yet reacted to the preliminary report of the General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research (IGESR), commissioned by the Ministry of Sports and sent to the parties on Monday.
“This indictment-like report nevertheless salutes the work accomplished by Mr. le Graët, his historic commitment to the service of French football, and in particular women’s football”, write the advice of the boss of the FFF, “re-elected in March 2021 at 73% votes”.
The lawyers claim that the former mayor of Guingamp feels a “deep sense of injustice” in the face of this audit mission, subjected “to political and media pressure which could only bias it”, and which takes the form of a “legitimacy trial”.
