New Delhi: Prosecutors in France confirmed that the investigation into the harassment cases against former French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet had been dropped. The inquiry had been opened against Le Graet in January 2023 and was closed on October 17th due to lack of evidence.
La Graet resigned from his post back in February 2023 after serving for 11 years as the head of the federation after a report authorized by the Ministry of Sport had criticised his “inappropriate” behaviour towards women. Further, the report had also criticised the 81-year-old’s public conduct and failure to run the federation.
La Graet had denied the allegations despite his resignation. After the judgement, his lawyer, Thierry Marembert, acknowledged the news and was happy that Le Graet’s integrity wasn’t questioned. According to Marembert, the report hadn’t been thorough, and the accusations were levelled in a hasty manner.
Paris prosecutors drop sexual harassment case against former French football chief Noël Le Graët
➡️ https://t.co/72JiT1OG9S pic.twitter.com/LBIrCa0rkF— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) November 4, 2024
Speaking about the verdict, Le Graet himself commented on his “relief” at being cleared of the charges. He maintained that he wasn’t at a stage to forgive and had vestiges of anger left in him, though he was happy that his honour had been restored.
Le Graet has launched a libel case against then-Minister of Sport Amelie Oudea-Castera and accused her of falsifying the report, which is due to be heard in December. The report stated that the former FFF president wasn’t fit to run the organization.
During his final year in the office, he had been at the centre of controversies, stating that Zinedine Zidane wasn’t fit to be the next coach of France. He later apologised for his remarks, calling them “clumsy” and saying that wasn’t his opinion of Zidane’s playing ability or his coaching tactics.
