The final report of the audit within the overwhelming FFF for Noël Le Graët

This Wednesday afternoon, the final report drawn up by the three officials in charge of the ” mission of the General Inspectorate […] audit and control on the management of the French Football Federation and compliance with the obligations attached thereto », according to the official terminology, was presented. It unsurprisingly confirms the pre-report drawn up on January 30 which seriously pinpointed Noël Le Graët, the president of the FFF “withdrawn” from his duties a month ago.

Inappropriate behavior

The “summary of the final report” of the three inspectors is indeed explicit: “For almost two years now, Mr. Le Graët’s inappropriate public positions have multiplied to the point of proving incompatible with the requirement of exemplary behavior expected of a president of a sports federation benefiting from a delegation contract. with the state. The report points out that these numerous problematic statements by the President of the Federation fall within the scope of the reprehensible facts of the FFF’s disciplinary regulations on “behaviour contrary to morals, ethics or damaging to the honor, to the ‘image or consideration of the FFF”, but that no disciplinary proceedings have been initiated to date. »

The inspectors add that “the hearings conducted by the mission brought to light Mr. Le Graët’s inappropriate behavior towards women. The mission not only notes remarks and text messages emanating from Mr. Le Graët, ambiguous for some and of a clearly sexual nature for others, but points also the late schedule of the mailings, their repetitive nature and the nature of the recipients – women placed under his authority and/or in a relationship of dependence – and this, even after the start of its work.

Based on specific testimonies, on documents provided by certain witnesses, the rapporteurs believe that this behavior cannot be considered as respectful of the dignity of these people and does not comply either with the obligation of exemplarity expected from the president of a delegated federation. The hearings conducted by the mission revealed that the inappropriate and insulting nature of Mr. Le Graët’s remarks can be accentuated by excessive alcohol consumption. »

Florence Hardouin, between “authoritarianism and passivity”

And to conclude: “Given his behavior towards women, his public statements and the failure of his governance of the FFF, the mission considers that Mr. Le Graët no longer has the necessary legitimacy to administer and represent French football. It considers that the behavioral excesses of Mr. Le Graët are now detrimental to the image of the FFF and invites the federal authorities to examine this situation in application of the statutory provisions. The facts mentioned by several testimonies collected by the mission being likely to receive a criminal qualification led the mission to seize the public prosecutor of Paris, on January 13, 2023, in accordance with article 40 of the code of criminal procedure. »

Florence Hardouin, the general manager, laid off on January 11 and summoned, on April 21, to an interview prior to a probable dismissal, is doing much better, but is not completely spared. “The mission had confirmation, during its hearings, of the asserted skills of the general manager in the field of marketing and of her significant professional commitment, but it is reserved about her cross-functional skills necessary for a balanced exercise of a management function. general, write the inspectors. The report thus mentions a ”defense” authoritarianism linked to the fear of his closest collaborators as well as a certain passivity in the face of the sexist and violent atmosphere which reigned within the CODIR (steering committee) until 2020”.

For the FFF in general, the criticisms are also severe, since “the functioning of the comex illustrates a weakness of democratic exercise: it is above all identified as a place of observations and consensus”. Likewise, “the report also underlines the weak weight of the moral authorities constituted by the ethics committee and the High Authority of Football which have not shown their capacity to ensure the role of safeguard or regulation in situations crisis encountered by the Federation”.

A comex of the FFF must be held Friday or early next week to study the consequences of the ministerial report. Most members hope for a resignation of Noël Le Graët.