former sports minister Patrick Kanner hails "a wise decision"

During Tuesday morning’s executive committee, Noël Le Graët resigned from his post as president of the French Football Federation (FFF).

Article written by

Published on 28/02/2023 19:09

Reading time : 1 min.

Patrick Kanner, socialist senator from the North, former Minister of Sports, greeted Tuesday February 28 on franceinfo “a wise decision” of Noël le Graët who resigned from his position as president of the French Football Federation (FFF). The former minister hopes this will bring “appeasement within the Federation”. Noël le Graët will bounce back within Fifa by taking the head of the Paris office of the international football body.

“It was a decision that was inevitable. Clouds were gathering over Noël Le Graët’s head with the various revelations that were presented, including publicly, to all the media. It’s a wise decision with , I hope, an appeasement within the Federation.”

Patrick Kanner, Socialist Senator of the North, former Minister of Sports

at franceinfo

The FFF was “my main partner when I was Minister of Sports, especially for the organization of Euro 2016. I have good memories of this collaboration”, he said. But “Since that time, there have been many abuses that I regret”he points out.

The Federation “is not a completely independent body”

Patrick Kanner praised the role of Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra who “taken the meaning of events with general inspections that have been triggered”. A Federation “has a public service delegation, so it is accountable to the ministry as such. It is not a completely independent body. There is state funding. There are obligations that are those of the French Football Federation, like the other French federations”he recalled.

Football in France is “thousands and tens of thousands of amateur clubs who need a strong, sanitized Federation and, in any case, preserved in its functioning”he estimated.