Amid the mounting pressure on FFF president Noël Le Graët – from the backlash caused by his dismissive comments on Zinédine Zidane to accusations of sexual harassment – French football’s political figurehead is facing calls to resign from the position he has held for over a decade.
Le Graët has called an extraordinary executive board meeting this morning, with many members hoping the day will end with his resignation. The some within the committee are notably resentful over the way in which he decided on Didier Deschamps’ contract renewal on his own, behind their backs, L’Équipe report.
The FFF president did not bring up the three-and-a-half year extension for the double World Cup winner in Friday’s assembly, despite the renewal being announced the day after. The length of the new contract is a particular source of ire, given that Deschamps is set to stay on until the 2026 World Cup, even though Le Graët’s final term in charge ends in 2024.
Those who are questioning the contract do not want to terminate it, but rather modify it to allow for a potential exit in 2024, or scale it back to two years – which was Le Graët’s initial intention before being convinced by Deschamps to agree to even longer.
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin