In his lengthy interview with L’Équipe in the wake of his resignation as FFF president this morning, Noël Le Graët was notably asked about his dismissive comments about Zinédine Zidane’s chances of becoming France manager after the World Cup.
The comments, which initially led to the French FA chief stepping back from his duties at the start of January, were roundly criticised – notably by Kylian Mbappé and Minister for Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra – as a lack of respect towards a legend of French football.
“Zinédine Zidane to Brazil? I don’t give a toss. He can go wherever he wants, to a club or to a national team. I don’t really care. Did he try to ring me? Definitely not. I wouldn’t have even picked up the phone for him”
The remarks were made in the wake of Didier Deschamps’ contract extension, which will see him in charge of Les Bleus until the 2026 World Cup. He later apologised for the comments.
In tonight’s interview, Le Graët has once again recognised that what he said was “very clumsy“, and pointed out that he had become tired of answering questions about the former Real Madrid manager:
“I had just returned to Paris and it was the third journalist who was asking me about Zidane. I was amicable with the first two but with the third, I don’t even know who it was [Le Graët was being interviewed by Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli] it was on the phone, I lost it. It wasn’t smart, I could slap myself over it. I should have never said that. But I apologised straight away.”
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin