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Despite his apologies, Noël Le Graët is in turmoil following his remarks regarding Zinedine Zidane which sparked an avalanche of indignant reactions. The president of the French Football Federation, already under pressure since the revelations regarding the dysfunctions of the body, finds himself a little more weakened before his hearing on Tuesday by the Ministry of Sports.
The outing too much for Christmas Le Graët? The statements of the Breton leader on Zinedine Zidane – why he finally apologized – might not have come at a worse time with the approach of his hearing, Tuesday, January 10, by the audit mission commissioned by the Ministry of Sports to clarify in particular the managerial practices of the French Football Federation (FFF).
Already shaken by accusations of “harassment” and “inappropriate” behavior on the part of ex-employees, anonymous and whom he has always disputed, Noël Le Graët aggravated his case by attacking, on Sunday, on the radio RMC, to the Zidane icon.
“I wouldn’t even have taken him on the phone,” he said of “Zizou”, considered the No. 1 option at the head of the France team in the event of non-renewal. Didier Deschamps – finally extended until 2026. “To tell him what? ‘Hello sir, don’t worry, look for another club, I just agreed with Didier’?”
To a question regarding Brazil’s supposed interest in the former No. 10 of the 1998 world champions and 2000 European champions, he added: “I don’t care, he can go where he wants, in a club, he would have as many as he wants in Europe, a big club.”
The Comex of the FFF as arbiter of the fate of Noël Le Graët
The former mayor of Guingamp, usually reluctant to self-criticism, took the measure of the tsunami caused by his intervention by presenting his personal “apologies” to the former playmaker, as had been demanded of him on Sunday by the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.
“I would like to apologize for these remarks which absolutely do not reflect my thoughts, nor my consideration for the player he was and the coach he has become. Zinedine Zidane knows the immense esteem I have for him, like all French people,” he said in a statement to AFP on Monday.
From Kylian Mbappé, who judged on Twitter that “we don’t disrespect the legend like that”, to Zidane’s ex-teammates in blue Youri Djorkaeff and Laurent Blanc, via Real Madrid, outraged by “unworthy” words, Noël Le Graët was unanimously once morest him.
Zidane is France, we don’t disrespect the legend like that… ????????♂️
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) January 8, 2023
“We cannot disrespect former players of the France team, let alone an international legend like Zinedine Zidane”, added Hugo Lloris. While commenting on TF1 his international retirementthe captain of the Blues denounced “inappropriate” remarks.
What are the consequences for the future of Noël Le Graët, whose mandate will end at the end of 2024?
During a press conference on Monday, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra called on the FFF’s Executive Committee to “take responsibility”. “There are eminent personalities within the Comex who have demonstrated their value, their efficiency, their vision and their sense of responsibility. I know that they will demonstrate this once more in the weeks to come and that they will be able to weigh in to put this Federation back on the right track,” she said.
Technically, the political power does not have the possibility of dismissing the president of the FFF, which would also provoke the ire of the International Federation (Fifa) which prohibits any state intervention.
“It’s uncontrolled communication”
But there is a “feeling of fed up” at the top of the state, explains a government source who deplores “a feeling of accumulation” of “unacceptable words”. “He freaked out,” said the same source, who noted “a fairly high level of consternation”.
The fracture between the Minister of Sports and Noël Le Graët was further accentuated during the World Cup in Qatar, where the boss of the FFF had not hesitated to pour out with a representative of the State by criticizing the Minister of Sports and even the President of the Republic, according to a government source.
The ball is therefore on the side of the Executive Committee of the FFF, the only one authorized to push its president towards the exit.
A member of the Comex, who requested anonymity, believes that the leader’s situation will be untenable. “There is going to be a terrible groundswell, he is going to have to go. The minister is right, he is completely off the ground. It is an uncontrolled communication, but when you are president of a sports federation, the largest in France, we control ourselves”, explained this source.
The Comex was also shaken not to have been informed, during its meeting on Friday, of the extension of Deschamps to the post of coach, announced the next day during the General Assembly of the Federation.
With AFP
