The National Assembly is preparing to examine, from Wednesday March 17, a bill “aimed at democratizing sport”. Too late, believe some opponents of Noël Le Graët, 79 years old. Favorite to succeed himself, the current president of the French Football Federation (FFF) aims for a fourth consecutive term, Saturday March 13, on the occasion of a “dematerialized” Federal Assembly (Covid-19 requires) , who will elect the new president.
Failing to set a maximum age of eligibility, the bill put forward by the group La République en Marche (LRM) provides for limiting the number of terms of office as president of a federation to three. But only from the next electoral cycle, that after the Olympic Games in Paris, in 2024.
If the law comes into force, it will prevent, among other things, a new candidacy of Mr. Le Graët, who, this year, faces two other candidates: Frédéric Thiriez, former president of the Professional Football League, and Michel Moulin, entrepreneur , ex-club manager, sentenced to suspended prison in the so-called Nîmes match-fixing case, in 2014.
” Our project aims to abolish the voting system totally based on large voters ”, indicates the deputy Pierre-Alain Raphan
Above all, the text provides for reforming the electoral methods of sports bodies. To date, the system of “grand voters” (departmental, regional or territorial) prevails in a majority of them. Including the FFF, the most powerful in the country. It has nearly 14,000 amateur clubs (2.1 million licenses last season), but only 218 “electors” called to appoint the president.
” Our project aim at abolish the voting system totally based on large voters ”, indicates Pierre-Alain Raphan, deputy (LRM) of Essonne. According to the co-rapporteur of the text, this system “Prevents a mixing, a renewal in the federations while some, such as judo or tennis, have been able to renew themselves”.
Emmanuel Macron’s promise
If, in 2017, while campaigning for the presidency of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron had promised “The systematic election of the presidents of federations by the clubs”, the bill is less advanced: it wants to ensure that club presidents represent ” at least “ half ” of the electoral college and of the votes “ of each ballot from 2024.
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