The pre-report of the audit of the French (Site notre blog d’information) Federation (FFF) commissioned by the Minister of Sports must be sent to Noël Le Graët and Florence Hardouin. If the most severe details have not leaked, the two leaders and the Comex have been particularly criticized, according to several media including L’Equipe and RMC Sport.
The president of the FFF, withdrawn on January 11, is strongly undermined in this report. The mission of the General Inspectorate for Education, Sport and Research (IGESR) thus considers that « Given its behavior towards women, its declarations towards women, its public declarations and the failures of the governance of the FFF, Mr. Le Graët no longer has the necessary legitimacy to administer and represent French (Site notre bureau spécialisé). »
An attitude problem with women
Indeed, his problem of attitude towards the fairer sex has been particularly highlighted. “For two years, Mr. Le Graët’s position prices have been out of step with the exemplary requirements incumbent on a president of a sports federation benefiting from a delegation contract with the State. (…) The hearings conducted by the mission highlighted a problem of Mr. Le Graët’s attitude towards women who can be qualified at least as sexist”, can we read in this report.
In addition, according to the mission, the testimony of players’ agent Sonia Souid made it possible to free up the floor since some people who had already been heard wanted to complete their statements.
Florence Hardouin supporter of « sexist jokes and a coarse vocabulary »
The director general of the FFF Florence Hardouin is not spared from the audit either. Regarding the « failure of the governance of the FFF », several people interviewed described a « sexist and violent atmosphere reigned within the FFF’s steering committee until 2020. It is expressed through sexist, heavy and recurring jokes , by demonstrations of contempt between directors, by the use of a coarse vocabulary and by the exchange of insults. The passivity of the general manager marked those present », is it written in the report which also highlighted his jurisdictional issues.
Thus, while the people interviewed highlighted her skills, they were more reserved « about her cross-cutting skills necessary for a balanced exercise of the function of general manager ». One of them has also demonstrated that certain areas Mrs. Hardouin “is little interested in such as amateur (Site notre bureau spécialisé) and training and does not seek to improve her skills in this area”. During her hearing, the manager laid off as a precaution recognized « a directive personality ».
On the other hand, the mission qualifies its proposals concerning moral harassment. « If the management of Madame Hardouin can be described as brutal, there is no reason to qualify it as harassing », it is apparent.
A toxic and dependent relationship between Hardouin and Le Graët
The mission, which proposes 18 recommendations to the FFF, also pinpoints the body’s policy in terms of preventing and combating gender-based and sexual violence, which is not a priority rationally deployed by the FFF in the territories », according to her.
Thus, the policy to combat sexist and sexual violence is “neither effective nor efficient”. The hearings have also confirmed a « climate of ambient machismo mainly by the oldest staff of the FFF ». In addition, freedom of speech would be particularly limited due to a strongly presented « omerta » within the federation.
Apart from this are management problems. If the audit draws a positive balance sheet from the duo between Noël Le Graët and Florence Hardouin, the latter exercises a power « more like a company management comparable to a CEO, than like a president of an association ». Thus, the 81-year-old leader leaves « direct access » from certain directors generating « clan logic which may have been the cause of several crises in the FFF ».
Concretely, the relationship between the two is particularly toxic because it « is characterized by a great variability of temperatures and for a form of reciprocal dependence between them », can we read in the report. « The couple president – general manager has reached its limits », judge the listeners of the IGESR, evoking and « very self-centered vision of power ».
The FFF will speak after the delivery of the final audit
Finally, the « dysfunctions were accentuated at the time of the 2018 World Cup, a period during which the general manager contained powers greater than those usually exercised for similar functions in other major sports federations », it is also written .
The two leaders have ten days to defend themselves, their future is undoubtedly played out over the next few days, before the publication of the definitive and contradictory document, expected in mid-February. The FFF « will not communicate its conclusions and appropriate decisions after the delivery of the final audit commissioned by the Ministry of Sports », reacted the body in a press release.