French football chief Noel Le Graet could face criminal proceedings after a claim of a “sexist outrage” was made against him, Le Monde reported on Saturday.
The report was submitted to the Paris public prosecutor following testimony from Sonia Souid, an agent for several French internationals, during an audit of the French Football Federation (FFF).
Sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said she had been informed by the head of the auditing body that a report had been made in accordance with the criminal code.
Le Graet, 81, was forced to step down last week until the completion of the audit.
In a statement to AFP on Saturday, he said he was stunned by leaks to the media.
“I have just read with astonishment an article in Le Monde reporting leaks in the provisional audit report being prepared,” he said in a statement.
“At this stage I know neither the facts of which I am accused nor the people who are behind them.
“More generally, I am surprised that information can be disclosed even though the interim report has not yet been sent to me and I have not been able to submit my observations.”
During interviews with sports daily L’Equipe and broadcaster RMC, Souid accused Le Graet of unwanted sexual advances, claiming she felt “the only thing that interested him, and I apologise for speaking vulgarly, are my breasts and my ass”.
In French law, “sexist outrage” refers to a statement or behaviour with a sexual or sexist connotation which undermines a person’s dignity or exposes him or her to a distressing situation.
The offence can be punished with a fine of up to 750 euros.
Le Graet, in charge of the FFF since 2011 and with a mandate due to run until 2024, had faced calls to resign after what he admitted were “clumsy remarks” about Zinedine Zidane’s potential interest in coaching the French national team.
He had said “wouldn’t even have taken his call” when asked whether Zidane, a World Cup winner as a player and an all-time France great, had rung him to express an interest in taking over as coach from Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps, who led France to World Cup glory in 2018 and oversaw their run to last month’s final which they lost on penalties to Argentina, last week signed a new contract to stay as France coach until 2026.
After Noel Le Grat, the head of the French Football Federation (FFF), indicated he would not pick up the phone if Zinedine Zidane called to discuss coaching the national team, Kylian Mbappé has spoken out in favour of Zidane.
After Didier Deschamps guided France to their second straight World Cup final, which they lost to Argentina on penalties in Qatar last month, the FFF announced the renewal of his contract on Saturday. Prior to Deschamps’ retirement, Zidane was the favourite to replace him.
Le Garet’s statement
When asked if France’s 1998 World Cup champion and cultural icon Zidane will now manage Brazil instead, Le Garet stated, “I don’t give a damn, he can go wherever he wants. I know very well that Zidane was always on the radar. He had a lot of supporters; some were waiting for Deschamps’s departure … But who can make serious reproaches to Deschamps? Nobody.
“He does what he wants; it’s none of my business. I’ve never met him, we’ve never considered parting with Didier. He can go where he wants, to a club … If Zidane tried to contact me? Certainly not, I wouldn’t even pick up the phone.”
Support for Zidane
Mbappe then publicly said on Twitter, “Zidane is France, we don’t disrespect the legend like that.” There were many others that also supported Mbappe, a number of French politicians got involved with the matter as they disagreed with what Le Garet had to say.
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, who is the Minister of Sports for France stated, “Yet more out-of-touch comments and on top of that a shameful lack of respect, which hurts us all, towards a legend of football and sport.”
Fan reaction towards the whole ordeal
Mbappe wasn't impressed with French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet's comments about Zinedine Zidane 😮
ESPN tweeted about the whole ordeal and placed Mbappe’s tweet in a screenshot. Fans agreed with Mbappe and said that “the clown (referring to Le Garet) needs to be put in his place.”
Ironically, Ronaldo fans came into the picture out of pure randomness defending Ronaldo and Zidane by stating, “Another reason why Ronaldo is better than Messi. Ronaldo is considered the greatest ever footballer for his country, Portugal. Messi is still considered to be behind Maradona.”
The Ronaldo fan then added that Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo, France has Zidane, Brazil has Pele and Argentina has Maradona. Jabs against Lionel Messi were made as Maradona is still regarded highly and his legacy linking to Argentina is still strong.
Furthermore, his fans claimed that Ronaldo has given him good influence, good as in he should stick up for those who are innocently attacked. Some speculate that Mbappe and Ronaldo are still close even though it has been years since he was in Paris Saint-Germain.
Fans also stated that Zidane and Mbappe are the two players solely responsible for France’s recent World Cups. This sentiment has gotten mixed reviews as some disagreed as they stated that Mbappe only helped with the World Cup in 2018, but did not single handedly win it.
France head to Qatar as World Cup holders and with the newly-crowned Ballon d’Or winner in their ranks, so all should be rosy for coach Didier Deschamps.
But injuries, recent results and off-field matters have raised doubts about their prospects of becoming the first team to successfully defend the World Cup trophy since Brazil in 1962.
After the ups and downs of last year, when Didier Deschamps’ team went out of the European Championship on penalties to Switzerland in the last 16 and then bounced back to win the UEFA Nations League, there has not been too much to shout about in 2022 for Les Bleus.
They have won just one of their last six games, a run that included two defeats against Denmark, one of their upcoming World Cup opponents.
France are not the only major European side to have struggled in these Nations League matches, but of greater concern is the fact that their two midfield pillars from the triumphant 2018 campaign in Russia will not be in the squad this time.
Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante is out with a hamstring injury that required surgery, and earlier this week it was confirmed that Paul Pogba will also play no part.
The Juventus playmaker was clinging to the hope that he could recover from a knee injury in time to feature in the squad that Deschamps will name next week.
But he has not played for his club since signing from Manchester United in the close season and this week he admitted defeat in his battle to be fit for Qatar.
“There was still some hope that he would be back. He is such an important player for the team. He will be hugely missed,” captain Hugo Lloris admitted.
Between them they have played 144 times for their country and their absence leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the park.
Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot of Juventus appear the favourites to fill that hole, while Deschamps is hoping injuries elsewhere — such as that suffered by centre-back Raphael Varane — will clear up in time.
“When you start a competition you need to have confidence in all the players who are called up. Then it’s up to those players to create a synergy and make us strong as a team,” added Lloris.
Fearsome attack
Perhaps the absence of Pogba will be a blessing, especially given his personal issues — he is also embroiled in an alleged extortion plot involving his own brother that has led to Mathias Pogba being charged along with four other people.
Pogba said he was being blackmailed for 13 million euros ($12.9m) and told investigators that his blackmailers wanted to discredit him by claiming he asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on Kylian Mbappe.
The last team from France get-together was also overshadowed by a row between Mbappe and the French Football Federation over image rights that risked damaging squad morale.
On top of that, the FFF’s veteran 80-year-old president, Noel Le Graet, has been in the firing line since So Foot magazine published accusations by some former employees of mistreatment during their time at the federation.
The French government also recently announced it was launching an audit of the federation.
“It’s not the calmest atmosphere that I have known,” admitted Deschamps a few weeks ago.
But his focus is now purely on the football, and for all their problems France still have a fearsome side.
Benzema, who will turn 35 the day after the final, is in the form of his life and his presence means France may not need Olivier Giroud even if he has also been performing well for AC Milan.
Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Kingsley Coman are all world-class attackers and Christopher Nkunku was the best player in the Bundesliga last season.
Then there is Mbappe, who in 2018 became the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pele.
Now approaching his 24th birthday, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar may be relieved to be away from the spotlight of his club for a few weeks after endless speculation about his future.
If Mbappe and Benzema click together, then that is likely to spell trouble for France’s opponents.
During a Tuesday audience at the presidential palace, Spain’s acting prime minister enthusiastically praised the victorious Women’s World Cup champions. The praise was quickly followed by a sharp rebuke as he criticized the president of the Spanish soccer association for his unwanted lip-lock with a team member, emphasizing how crucial it is to respect permission. This striking contrast serves as a reminder of the need to celebrate success and uphold proper behavior, having an impact beyond the world of sports.
Prime Minister Sánchez intends to present the squad with the coveted golden medal of athletic excellence as a way of honouring Spain’s Women’s World Cup victory. A momentous event occurred with the 1-0 triumph over England in Sydney.
Despite Sánchez’s dedication to gender equality, there was controversy at the awarding of the medals when Luis Rubiales, the head of the Spanish Soccer Federation, gave player Jenni Hermoso a contentious kiss, detracting from the festive mood.
Following his assertion that those who disapproved of his kiss were “idiots and stupid people,” also Rubiales was forced to say sorry. an article from USA Today shared.
After a forced kiss, there was immediate and widespread indignation in Spain and internationally. Yolanda Diaz, the deputy prime minister, was blunt in her criticism of Rubiales’ behavior, calling it harassment and abuse and calling for his resignation.
Spain’s classification of the incident
Photo: Instagram / elDiario
It was classified as sexual assault by the nation’s equality minister, and new rules against such violence may apply to the occurrence. Rubiales kissed Hermoso without asking permission, grabbing her face first, which could now be prosecuted in court as a criminal.
Rubiales caused new controversy by making a dubious crotch gesture after Spain’s victory.
Princess Infanta Sofia, age 16, and Queen Letizia of Spain were in attendance as this occurrence took place.
The main opposition group in the nation harshly criticized Rubiales’ actions.
In the aftermath, Rubiales loses the backing of influential public and political figures.
His seclusion signals a significant change in his position and how the public views him.
Sánchez emphasizes the independence of the Spanish football federation from governmental interference amid the discussion around Rubiales’ future. Sánchez also emphasizes the significance of Rubiales’ real and effective apologies. Hermoso, meantime, politely avoids discussing the incident during the recent celebrations in the capital.
“We’re world champions, aren’t we?” she said. “Right now I think it’s too much.” an article from USA Today shared.
Players and staff were met by a raucous throng of thousands in Madrid on a Monday after a grueling 20-hour journey from Sydney. The extended welcome party, which went into midnight, erased the trip exhaustion by injecting a flood of exhilaration.
French rugby was reeling Tuesday after federation president Bernard Laporte received a two-year suspended prison sentence on corruption charges just nine months before France hosts the sport’s World Cup.
Laporte, 58, was convicted after a French court ruled he showed favouritism in awarding a shirt sponsorship contract for the national side to Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of Top 14 champions Montpellier.
He was also banned from holding any rugby post for two years, but this is suspended pending an appeal which Laporte’s lawyer said was imminent.
Laporte, however, later stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of the sport’s global governing body, World Rugby, pending a review by the body’s ethics officer.
“World Rugby notes the decision by World Rugby vice-chairman Bernard Laporte to self-suspend from all positions held within its governance structures with immediate effect following his conviction by the French court in relation to domestic matters, and pending his appeal,” World Rugby said.
“While acknowledging Laporte’s self-suspension and right of appeal, given the serious nature of the verdict World Rugby’s Executive Committee has referred the matter to its independent ethics officer for review in accordance with its integrity code,” it added.
Earthquake for rugby
Laporte faces problems on the domestic front, too, with Florian Grill, who narrowly lost to him in the 2020 election for federation chief, calling for Laporte and the entire board to stand down.
“It is unheard of in rugby, this is an earthquake,” Grill told AFP.
“We have never before seen a president of the federation condemned to two years in prison, even if it suspended.
“We think the 40 members of the board of directors should draw the obvious conclusions and resign.”
French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said the sentence was an “obstacle for Bernard Laporte to be able, as it stands, to continue his mission in good conditions” as federation president.
Oudea-Castera called for a “new democratic era to allow French rugby to rebound as quickly as possible and sufficiently healthy and solid, with a governance by the federation that will have the full confidence of the clubs”.
The court found that Laporte ensured a series of marketing decisions favourable to Altrad — who was given an 18-month suspended sentence and 50,000 euro fine — in exchange for a 180,000 euro ($191,000) image licensing contract that was never actually carried out.
Altrad’s lawyer said he would study the decision before deciding on whether to appeal.
At the trial’s close in September, prosecutors said they were seeking a three-year prison sentence for Laporte, of which he should serve one behind bars, and the two others on probation.
The friendship and business links between Laporte and Altrad are at the heart of the case.
It goes back to February 2017, when they signed a deal under which Laporte agreed to appear at Altrad group conferences, and sold his image reproduction rights, in return for 180,000 euros.
But while that sum was paid to Laporte, prosecutors claim that he never actually provided the services he signed up for.
Suspect deals
Laporte did, however, make several public statements backing Altrad and, in March 2017, signed the 1.8-million-euro deal with the businessman making his namesake firm the first-ever sponsor to appear on the French national team’s jerseys.
Even now, Altrad’s logo features on the shirts thanks to a follow-up deal negotiated by Laporte in 2018 and which prosecutors say bears all the hallmarks of corruption.
Laporte, formerly a highly successful coach who guided France twice to the World Cup semi-finals (2003 and 2007), was also found guilty of favouritism with regards to Altrad’s Montpellier Herault Rugby (MHR) club.
He was convicted for intervening with French rugby’s federal disciplinary commission to reduce a fine against MHR to 20,000 euros — it was originally 70,000 euros — after several telephone calls from Laporte.
While prosecutors saw this and several more incidents as proof of illicit favouritism, Laporte himself had claimed there was no “cause-effect relationship”.
On the last day of the trial in October, Laporte’s lawyer Fanny Colin accused the prosecution of “confirmation bias” by “taking into account only elements backing their original assumptions”.
The verdict comes only nine months before the Rugby World Cup kicks off in France on September 8, 2023, with matches played in nine stadiums across the country.
She’s making heads turn in Doha as Stephanie Frappart gets the nod to make history as the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match. This was simply unimaginable but she proved that women can stay matched as their male counterparts when given the whistle.
Alongside assistants Neuza Back from Brazil and Karen Diaz from Mexico, the Frenchwoman will form part of an all-female refereeing trio officiating Costa Rica versus Germany in Friday’s Group ‘E’ match.
For the record, six female match officials have been officiating at this World Cup – referees Frappart, Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita as well as assistant referees Back, Diaz and Kathryn Nesbitt of the US.
FRAPPART’S SHOCKER APPOINTMENT
Even she finds it a shocker. She said: “It’s a surprise, you cannot believe it and after two or three minutes, you realise that you are going to the World Cup. It’s amazing, not only for me, but also for my family and also for the French referees.”
Throughout her career, Frappart has achieved a seemingly endless series of firsts. In 2019, she became the first female referee to take charge of a Ligue 1 match, in August 2019 the first to take charge of a major men’s European match, and in 2020, the first to officiate a men’s UEFA Champions League match.
“I knew that my life changed after 2019 because most people recognised me in the street,” Frappart added. “So I am like a role model, for women referees but I think it [also] inspired some women in society or in companies to take more and more responsibility.”
FANTASTIC BOOST
Already at this World Cup, Frappart has been the fourth official on two occasions – becoming the first female official at a men’s World Cup match at Mexico versus Poland. Mukasanga and Yamashita have also been the fourth official at two and four games of this World Cup respectively.
This must be a fantastic boost for gender equality in football and the place in which they are happening as women’s rights are severely restricted in Qatar.
Rather ironic as this is happening in Qatar, where women remain tied to a male guardian – usually their father, brother, grandfather, uncle or husband – and normally require their permission for important decisions such as marrying, accessing reproductive healthcare and working in many government jobs.
Frappart said: “I was many times in Qatar for the preparation of the World Cup. I was always welcomed in a good way. I don’t know how life is there but I didn’t make the decision to go there or to organise the World Cup. So now, 10 years after, it’s difficult to say something, but I hope that this World Cup will improve life for women there.”
Hats off to Frappart and now for the start of an unbelievable chapter for women’s football refereeing, especially Singapore referees. Congratulations!
Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.
