Europe 1 with AFP 8:42 p.m., January 10, 2023

The future of Noël le Graët will probably be played out on Wednesday morning during an extraordinary executive committee of the FFF, a crucial meeting decided after the surge having followed his remarks on Zidane and the damning testimony Tuesday of a players' agent denouncing his sexist behavior.

Noël Le Graët may be living his last hours as president of the FFF.

The latter, who has convened an exceptional General Assembly of the Executive Committee of the Federation, could lose the confidence of the members of the "Comex" during a vote of no confidence which would then push him towards the exit.

The 81-year-old Breton leader, in office since 2011, indeed seems to have been let go by some of his supporters.

"There, he lost a lot of people, I think the members of the Comex will no longer follow him", assures a source close to "3F".

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Weakened internally

Auditioned on Tuesday by the inspectors of the audit mission launched by the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra almost four months ago, an appointment fixed for days but finally positioned in the midst of turmoil, Noël Le Graët risks living another tough time Wednesday morning.

Weakened, but trying to keep control, he summoned the "government" of the French Football Federation, which may allow him to answer the various questions raised in recent days, but he will also have to face internal criticism.

His statements on Sunday evening on RMC about Zinedine Zidane obviously triggered a movement that the former PS mayor of Guingamp, despite his apologies presented to the 1998 world champion on Monday, may not be able to counter.

Monday evening, the president of the FFF was attacked with virulence by the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, who expressed the "piss-le-bol" felt at the top of the State according to a government source.

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"We had to go to the pan"

In this context, the testimony of player agent Sonia Souid on BFM TV and in L'Equipe on Tuesday could well be fatal to her.

"He told me face to face, in his apartment, very clearly, that if I wanted him to help me, I had to go to the pan", affirms Sonia Souid, at the mention of an interview dating back to 2014, when she wanted to discuss the promotion of women's football.

Referring to his past professional contacts with the boss of French football, the agent explains that he had the feeling "that each time, the only thing that interested him" was "my two breasts and my ass".

Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra congratulated her on Twitter "for the courage of (her) testimony".

This is the first direct testimony from a woman evolving in the professional world of Le Graët, four months after an investigation by the magazine So Foot reporting inappropriate behavior, including the sending of sexual SMS, which the person concerned has repeatedly denied.

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"It's starting to smell bad"

The testimony of Sonia Souid, very moved on the images of BFM TV, augured a complicated hearing for Le Graët, Tuesday at the headquarters of the FFF, as part of the audit carried out by the Ministry of Sports to clarify in particular the practices managerial within the body.

"He may be having a bad time, it's starting to smell bad," says a source close to political circles.

The first elements of this long-awaited report, and which the Minister of Sports wants to give quickly to the members of the Comex of the FFF so that he can "take his responsibilities", have already leaked on France Inter.

The radio revealed that "several women" had "denounced (...) the attitude of Noël Le Graët towards them", which was confirmed to AFP by a source familiar with the matter.

According to France Inter, a former executive "showed the inspectors text messages and WhatsApp messages", which "are certainly not illegal but (...) raise questions given the hierarchical link".

"He calls a lot. I have voicemails and a few text messages," Souid also said in his testimony.

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"Completely above ground"

Monday evening, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra clearly asked the Comex of the FFF to act.

The members of this government of French football, mainly from the list led by Le Graët during his last re-election in 2021, are the only ones entitled to push the president towards the exit.

Technically, the political power does not have the possibility of dismissing the boss of the FFF, which would also provoke the ire of the International Federation (Fifa), which prohibits any state intervention.

One of the Comex members, who requested anonymity, estimated, even before Sonia Souid's testimony, that the leader's situation would in any case be untenable in the days and weeks to come.

"There is going to be a terrible groundswell, he is going to have to go. The minister is right, he is completely above ground. It is an uncontrolled communication, but when you are president of a sports federation, the largest in France, we control ourselves“, explained this source.