Noël Le Graët invited 28 relatives at the expense of Fifa to attend the final – Liberation

A survey of the “World” again puts the former president of the FFF in turmoil. He would have offered his entourage very comfortable places in the final of the 2022 World Cup.

Two weeks after retiring from his duties as president of the French Football Federation (FFF) on February 28, Noël Le Graët is caught up in his particular management of the institution. A survey of Monde published this Wednesday thus reveals that Le Graët “was able to obtain additional places from Fifa, in addition to those granted under the protocol” for the World Cup final in Qatar. Schemes that look bad, after being caught for months under heavy fire from cases ranging from accusations of moral and sexual harassment until its release on Zinedine Zidane in January.

During a World Cup final, each finalist federation receives from Fifa a quota of places to watch the match, ten of which are very comfortable: two in the presidential stand and eight in the official stands. Last year, at the Lusail stadium, the FFF was able to recover around twenty more for these two VIP stands. According the world, Noel Le Graet “brought 28 of his relatives to the final in Qatar”. Among them, members of his family, friends or even the mayor of Guingamp (Côtes-d’Armor), Philippe Le Goff – Noël Le Graët was mayor of the town from 1995 to 2008, after entering the world of football by being president of the club En avant Guingamp between 1972 and 1991.

Well-placed friendships

If the plane tickets were entirely supported by Noël Le Graët, concerning the accommodation, it is something else. The leader admits to the Monde that his guests were accommodated in Qatar at the expense of Fifa. To obtain such favors, nothing could be simpler: all you need is the right contacts. The 81-year-old Breton has excellent relations with the boss of the international federation, Gianni Infantino. To the point of having been appointed head of the Paris office of Fifa in January 2022 – a position he did not leave after his resignation from the FFF. During the tournament in Qatar, Noël Le Graët and his wife also resided in the same hotel complex as Gianni Infantino.

A beneficial proximity link, therefore. Fifa even took care of transporting the leader’s guests by a chartered bus. Alongside Noël Le Graët in the presidential gallery on the day of the final, its general manager, Florence Hardouin, and the head of international relations for the FFF, Erwan Le Prevost. It is the latter, according to the world, who would have negotiated the number of places and their distribution with Fifa. Two daughters of Noël Le Graët and one of their friends were also seated in the presidential gallery thanks to the additional seats obtained. The others were in official stands.

1 million euros in invitations in 2014

This is not the first time that the FFF has pulled out all the stops for invitations. In February 2018, the Court of Auditors singled out the institution and accused it of “expensive lifestyle”. In question, the invitation of 130 people to Rio de Janeiro to attend the quarter-final of the World Cup between France and Germany. Cost of the trip: 1 million euros. An expense that had not been validated by the executive committee of the FFF. And which had aroused the anger of French amateur football, neglected by the Federation.

Same thing for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where the Blues were crowned world champions for the second time. The Federation estimated its expenses at nearly 8 million euros for the competition, even before the start of the quarter-finals.