Noël Le Graët

The Paris Prosecutor's Office opened a preliminary investigation in January 2023 into psychological and sexual harassment following a referral arising from the FFF audit. The investigation was closed on 17 October 2024.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Le Monde revealed that Le Graët had arranged for family, friends and associates to receive additional tickets allocated to the FFF for the 2022 World Cup final, while some executive committee members received lower-category seats. Twenty-eight people close to him made the trip.

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Political responsibility

The day after Didier Deschamps's contract extension, Le Graët responded dismissively to questions about Zinédine Zidane, notably stating that he would not even have taken his telephone call. The remarks provoked widespread reactions.

State of the evidence

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Attribution

Personally implicated

Players' agent Sonia Souid publicly accused Le Graët of making repeated advances towards her, arranging ambiguous meetings and implying that an intimate relationship was expected.

State of the evidence

Allegations

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Personally implicated

Following an audit commissioned by the Sports Ministry, the final report in February 2023 concluded that Le Graët no longer had the legitimacy required to administer and represent French football, particularly because of his behaviour towards women and governance failings. He resigned on 28 February.

State of the evidence

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Directly implicated

Confronted by France 2 with images of unsanitary accommodation for workers employed by a contractor for the French team's planned hotel, Le Graët responded that the problem was "not insurmountable" and involved, among other things, "coats of paint". The Sports Minister said she was shocked.

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Directly implicated

With tensions between Corinne Diacre and several internationals already public, Le Graët downplayed the conflict by emphasising the absence of defeats and declared that the players "can pull each other's hair, I don't care", fuelling criticism of his management of women's football.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Questioned after PSG–OM and Neymar's allegation of a racist insult, Le Graët stated that racism in sport and football "does not exist or barely exists", prompting widespread outrage.

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Personally implicated

As FFF president, Noël Le Graët asked referees no longer to stop matches for homophobic chants or banners, while saying that he would stop a match over racist shouting or danger in the stands. This position triggered a public confrontation with the Sports Minister and associations.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated