Apparently, all is well at the French Football Federation (FFF). A title of world champion for the Blues in 2018. A number of licensees still very important – already 1.7 million for the current season, despite the health crisis, a decrease of only 3% compared to last year at the same time. And cash that is largely sheltered from need.
Internally, it’s more complicated. According to our information, the president, Noël Le Graët, refuses to share with the employees and elected officials of the federation the report of an audit that he himself had commissioned. The subject is sensitive. In September, Mr. Le Graët commissioned this audit from the private consultancy firm Plein Sens. For the patriarch of French football, in office since 2011, almost 79 years old and possible candidate for his own succession in 2021, the goal was to appease the administration of the federation.
In mid-October, a survey of New York Times highlighted “Toxic culture” within the institution. “Foul language”, “Psychological abuse”, “stress”, “alcohol consumption”, “Inappropriate attitudes towards female employees »… Against a backdrop of conflict between the Director General of the FFF, Florence Hardouin, and several of its service directors, the American newspaper has drawn up the list of “Malfunctions” and “Strained working relations” at the headquarters of the federation in Paris.
“Moral harassment”
Several directors, including that of human resources, have criticized Mr.me Hardouin management methods sometimes judged “Brutal” by employees: the term “Moral harassment” was used by several of them in reports addressed to Mr. Le Graët.
According to information from World, the president of the FFF read the report produced on the basis of hearings conducted with several executives of the body by Eric Molière, associate director of Plein Sens. Mr. Le Graët then gave an oral report on the conclusions of this report to Florence Hardouin. But he did not want to disclose this document more widely internally.
On October 22, during a videoconference with the employees of the authority, the boss of French football confirmed that he did not intend to communicate the results of this audit, indicating, in essence, that he had not learned much from reading it and not wishing to go back to the past. Contacted by The world, neither M. Le Graët nor Mme Hardouin did not follow up. No more than Eric Molière.
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