PARIS (Reuters) – French football is bracing itself for a major shakedown as both the president of the federation (FFF) and the women’s head coach are expected to resign from their positions on Tuesday.
Noel Le Graet, who has been head of the FFF since 2011, has already taken a step back amid a legal investigation into alleged sexual and moral harassment and a damning audit commissioned by the Sports ministry, will be at the centre of Tuesday’s executive committee.
Should he refuse to step down, Le Graet, 81, could be brought before the FFF’s disciplinary committee or the executive committee could resign to force new elections.
“Given the failures in governance, his seriously inappropriate behaviour towards women, I can only agree with the conclusion of the report: he no longer has the legitimacy to administer and represent French soccer,” Sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said earlier this month.
Le Graet, who also came under fire when he made dismissive comments about France great Zinedine Zidane after extending men’s coach Didier Deschamps’s contract until 2026, could be followed into the abyss by the women’s coach, Corinne Diacre.
Diacre’s position has become untenable since team captain Wendie Renard said last week that she would not play at this year’s Women’s World Cup to preserve her mental health.
Fellow internationals Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani following suit soon after her announcement, all saying they were taking a step back from the national team.
Renard, who is widely considered one of the best defenders in women’s football, played for France in international games against Norway, Denmark and Uruguay earlier this month.
According to a report in French multimedia outlet RMC Sport, Renard will not play for the national team as long as Diacre is in charge.
The 48-year-old Diacre, who in 2014 became the first French woman to coach a men’s team when she took charge of then Ligue 2 side Clermont, was appointed France head coach in 2017.
Renard was stripped of the captaincy by Diacre following their quarter-final exit at Euro 2017, before regaining it in 2021.
Diacre had previously attracted criticism from other French players, including Gaetane Thiney and Sarah Bouhaddi.
The coach was also criticised at the European Championship in England last year for leaving out influential senior players Amandine Henry and Eugenie Le Sommer, their all-time leading goalscorer (86 goals), in her squad of 23.
France were eliminated in the semi-finals by Germany.
“I can no longer support the current system, which is far from the requirements of the highest level,” said Renard.
The Women’s World Cup takes place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug. 20.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
