after her layoff, Florence Hardouin seizes the Defender of Rights

“We have contacted the Defender of Rights to have the FFF obstruct the whistleblower status of Florence Hardouin.” The lawyer for the general manager of the French Football Federation, confirmed the information revealed by the newspaper Le Monde, Tuesday, February 21. Me Margaux Mathieu establishes a link between the denunciation “acts of harassment, criminally reprehensible”carried out by the Director General against the President of the Federation Noël Le Graët and his dismissal.

The 56-year-old leader, in office since 2013, had learned of her sanction for serious misconduct on January 11, following a federal executive committee which also recorded the withdrawal of Noël Le Graët. On Tuesday, she chose not to show up for the interview prior to her dismissal. Initially scheduled for January 20, the interview had been postponed due to the health problems of Florence Hardouin, hospitalized for a heart attack shortly after her layoff, then on sick leave.

She did not show up for the interview prior to her dismissal

The preliminary interview is a legal step that can lead to dismissal. This is a right granted to the employee to defend himself and the latter is not required to honor it, without being blamed for his absence. Appointed to the general management in 2013, the former fencer has long led French football with Noël Le Graët, with a financial recovery at the FFF to their credit. However, their “initial operational closeness turned into a toxic relationship”according to the summary of the audit report on the FFF commissioned by the Ministry of Sports.

The document released on February 15 further concludes that the Executive Director “is no longer able to carry out the missions which are his”due in particular to a “rough management” and behavior sometimes “humiliating” towards other employees.