Noël Le Graët responds to the accusations. The president of the French Football Federation (FFF) reacted for the first time, in an interview with the Parisian Wednesday, October 26, to the testimony of anonymous complainants who accused him of “inappropriate” behavior and “harassment”.
Le Graët denied the accusations, calling them “rumors that are circulated on the basis of anonymous testimonies”. “I have never harassed anyone, nor have I ever texted”he assures. “I have never had the slightest inappropriate gesture in my entire life towards a woman! I cannot regret things that I have not done”he continues.
It also evokes a changing era and actions that can no longer be done: “I understand that today we can no longer compliment a woman or a man for their elegance, their smile, invite them to a lunch to work… Because, taken out of their context, exploited by third parties, this compliment, this attention and this way of working can become a weapon that can be used against you, to harm you.”
Regarding the accusations of sexual abuse cases covered by Federation executives, Le Graët assured that there was no “no hidden case of sexual assault or harassment at the FFF”. “Since I have been president, all cases of alleged abuse brought to my attention have been dealt with, all of them!”he asserts.
While the surveys of SoFoot and Radio France pointed out the poor management of abuse and problems of sexual harassment, he insisted on affirming the work of the Federation on these issues: “The FFF is neither the Middle Ages nor the Wild West…. It’s incredible to tell stories to this extent. It’s false and it’s not just insulting to me but also for all elected officials, all employees…”
The president of 3F says he is waiting “with serenity” the conclusions of the audit mission of the Ministry of Sports on the subject, launched in mid-September to shed light on the cases: “I’m glad it happened. […] This will be an opportunity to show that the FFF does not do anything.”