French Football president accused of sexual harassment

Noel Le Graet has been suspended from his post pending further investigation.

The Paris prosecutor's office has revealed that French Football Federation president Noël Le Graët has been placed under investigation for "sexual harassment" and "moral harassment" in a statement released on Tuesday.

An investigation into the case was officially opened on Monday after complaints were brought forward by the General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research.

The main complainant in the case is sports agent Sonia Souid, who claims that she was the victim of improper conduct of a sexual nature from Le Graët over a period of several years from 2013-2017.

Souid told French publication L'Equipe that the Federation president made sexual advances towards her repeatedly during the time that they were forced to interact due to their respective jobs.

Le Graët, now 81 years old, stepped back from his duties after a meeting with the federation's executive committee last week. Apart from Le Graët, the FFF itself has been placed under investigation through the initiative of French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.

Marca reports that So Foot magazine published an exposé back in September 2022 saying that Le Graët allegedly harassed several female employees. This led to Oudéa-Castéra's involvement.

Le Graët is a highly influential figure in French football, having been re-elected to another four-year term in March last year. However, that position is now in danger if he is found guilty of the allegations.

This is not the first time that Le Graët has found himself in the headlines in recent weeks. Unfortunately, his most recent foray in the news was not on a positive note either.

Le Graet Le Great pic.twitter.com/VlCHVZseeX
— MARCO  (@MarcCDC) January 8, 2023

He was forced to apologise after causing outrage over his disrespectful comments about French legend Zinedine Zidane. He mocked the highly decorated player and manager after making the announcement that Didier Deschamps has signed a contract extension as manager of the men's national team squad.

Since stepping down, Le Graët has being replaced in an interim role by federation vice president Philippe Diallo.