By Victor Kanayo
Weeks after French Sports Ministry gave order for audit of the country’s soccer federation, it’s President Noel Le Graet will face probe over moral and sexual harassment allegations levelled against him.
Revealing this on Tuesday January 17, 2023, the Paris prosecutor’s office said investigation have already begun.
According to the prosecutor’s office, “In response to a report from the IGESR (General Inspection of Education, Sport and Research) on 13 January 2023, an investigation was opened yesterday into charges of moral and sexual harassment against French soccer federation (FFF) president.”
Le Graet could not be reached by Reuters on Tuesday but French media, citing a statement sent to news agency AFP by his lawyers, reported he denied any wrongdoing regarding the allegations.
Already, a top official Philippe Diallo is acting as interim president since last week, the FFF said.
In September 2022, the Sports ministry ordered an audit of the federation after the FFF said it would file a defamation lawsuit against So Foot magazine, which reported that Le Graet allegedly harassed several female employees.
The 81-year-old Le Graet has also come under fire from players and politicians for criticising French soccer icon and 1998 World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane, just as they hit out at him for extending France Coach Didier Deschamps’s contract until 2026, two years after his contract expired.
