French Football Federation President Noel Le Grae resigned on Tuesday after a government review found he no longer had the legal authority to lead due to his behavior towards women and his management style.
Le Grae, 81, is under investigation on suspicion of sexual and moral harassment. He has already retired from his duties until the results of the audit were considered by the executive committee of the federation.
He submitted his resignation at an executive committee meeting on Tuesday, according to a federation statement.
The statement said that vice-president of the federation Philippe Diallo will temporarily take over the duties of Le Grae until June 2023.
Amid mounting criticism of Le Grae last year, French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera ordered an audit of the federation in September.
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An audit report, based on more than 100 interviews and analysis of various documents, concluded last month that Le Grae’s behavior towards women was inappropriate and revealed other irregularities in the federation. He also noted that his policies against gender-based and sexual violence are “ineffective and ineffective”.
The federation praised Le Graet’s “remarkable sporting and economic performance” as head of the national team. football body ever since 2011. He reaffirmed his “strong commitment to combating gender-based and sexual violence” and attempted to distance himself from the audit.
French football federation president Noel Le Graet during a training session in Doha, Qatar on November 11. On February 19, 2022, Le Graet resigned from the French Football Federation. October 28, 2023 after a government audit showed that he was no longer eligible to lead. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, file)
Le Grae had a close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and it was unclear on Tuesday what the status of his two positions in football’s world body was.
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Infantino appointed Le Graet in January 2022 as his personal representative at the FIFA satellite office in Paris, which includes liaising with member federations. in Europe and Africa.
“The French Football Federation is doing a wonderful job,” Infantino said last year when announcing the appointment, “and I often have the opportunity to speak with Noel Le Grae to better understand how the example set here in France can support football development projects. ” on a global scale.”
FIFA did not immediately respond to requests on Tuesday for comment on the matter.
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Le Grae is also a candidate to retain his seat on the $250,000-a-year FIFA governing council, which is elected by the UEFA member federations.
Despite the controversy surrounding the French football organization, Le Grahe did not publicly withdraw his candidacy for the April 5 vote at the UEFA Congress in Lisbon, Portugal. His scheduled opponent is Fernando Gomes, the UEFA Vice President from Portugal.