Paris, Jan. 12 (BNA): Noel Le Graet agreed to step down from his duties as president of the French Football Federation on Wednesday, following an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee regarding his behaviour.
Le Graët, 81, has faced allegations of sexual harassment and the Football Association is the target of an investigation ordered by French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Associated Press reports.
The federation said in a statement on Wednesday that Le Graet had agreed to step down from his role until the results of the audit had been fully reviewed by the executive committee.
This is expected by the end of January. Until then, he will be replaced by federation vice-president Philippe Diallo in an interim position.
The union added that general manager Florence Hardwin had been temporarily suspended to allow for an investigation before his contract was eventually terminated. No other details were provided about Hardouin.
According to the website of sports daily L’Equipe, the 55-year-old Hardouin – a former world championship fencing silver medalist – was taken to hospital later on Wednesday as a precaution after experiencing chest pains at home.
Le Graët recently extended France coach Didier Deschamps’ contract until July 2026, after he led the national team to the World Cup final in December. The executive committee said it had approved the contract.
On Tuesday, sports agent Sonya Suede accused Le Graet of inappropriate behavior over several years, saying he was only interested in her sexually. Soede said in an interview with sports daily L’Equipe that Le Graet repeatedly tried to approach her from 2013-17.
Odia Castera ratcheted up the pressure on Lou Graet on Monday, accusing him of “damaging the image of our country.” Patrick Antoine, head of the French Football Federation’s ethics council, issued a statement on Tuesday urging Le Grat to leave his position.
Ligue 1 president Vincent Labrune attended Wednesday’s meeting and a few protesters outside carried signs about Le Graet.
Le Graët has had a tumultuous week after saying he “couldn’t care less” about French soccer star Zinedine Zidane’s future as a coach. He later apologized for his comments after facing a barrage of criticism.
Deschamps said Le Graet’s comments were “inappropriate” and that it was “a very good thing that he apologized to Zizou (Zidane)”.
Deschamps, however, made no further comments about Lou Graet.
“I’m not going to say anything else, this is not the right place,” said Deschamps, who was speaking Wednesday at a charity event.
Le Graët and Hardouin also hold senior positions in FIFA and UEFA.
Le Graët is currently a candidate for another four-year term on the FIFA Council, the football body’s decision-making committee. He is challenging the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Fernando Gomez, for the seat. Elections are scheduled for April 5, when UEFA’s member states meet in Lisbon.
Hardouin has a protected women’s seat on UEFA’s executive committee, which expires at the April 5 conference in Lisbon. She can withdraw as a candidate by the February 5 deadline.
Oudéa-Castéra ordered an investigation into the union in September after the body said it would file a defamation lawsuit against So Foot magazine, which reported that Le Graët had harassed several female employees.
The French magazine published a six-page investigation that cited anonymous former and current employees, and inappropriate text messages Le Graet allegedly sent to the women.
Last March, Le Grat was re-elected to a four-year term despite opposition from anti-racism activists who called him out of touch.
Le Graet had downplayed racism in football, telling broadcaster BFM: “The phenomenon of racism in sport, and in football in particular, does not exist at all or hardly exists.”
Le Graet opposed the idea of players wearing rainbow armbands to campaign against discrimination during the World Cup in Qatar.
The leadership roles in French sport have come under scrutiny in recent months. French rugby union chief Bernard Laporte faces a suspended two-year prison sentence on corruption charges.