Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin, with Céline Géraud 17:24 pm, March 30, 2023

Since his election as head of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), Gilles Moretton has faced several controversies. Deleterious climate, resignations of dozens of employees, complaint for embezzlement of public assets and corruption, Gilles Moretton defended himself in "Europe 1 Sport", denouncing a campaign of destruction.

The French Tennis Federation is no exception to the rule. Like several other sports federations, the FFT is currently going through a turbulent period involving its president Gilles Moretton. Exceptional guest of the show Europe 1 Sport (every evening from 20 hours to 23 hours live on Europe 1), the one who succeeded Bernard Giudicelli in February 2021 defended himself against his detractors.

Ten days ago, a complaint for misappropriation of public property and corruption against the body was filed with the National Financial Prosecutor's Office. Even if "at this stage, the FFT has not been the recipient of any complaint, any official information, or even any escalation of accusations internally of this type", this announcement may shake the body that runs French tennis. The complaint, filed by several executives of the Federation, is being analyzed, said the PNF without giving more details.

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Resale of tickets at Roland Garros?

This complaint would target in particular a history of resale of Roland-Garros tickets between 2018 and 2020. Gilles Moretton rejected these accusations in Europe 1 Sport: "I gave the documents, I want total transparency. This same file had already been dealt with. There was a federal litigation commission, there was a federal justice commission" that had already shed light on this case. "We'll follow. We will wait to see what happens and see what the prosecutor decides. We have answers to all these questions, but we will judge afterwards, "assured the president of the FFT.

However, this complaint embarrasses Gilles Moretton since it comes a few weeks after the publication in the media of an investigation questioning the management methods and financial management of the Federation since the election to its presidency in February 2021. According to a survey published by Mediapart, the Tennis Federation would face "an unprecedented social haemorrhage", including the "voluntary or forced departures of 112 employees out of 400".

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'Deplorable'

Faced with these accusations, the president of the FFT rebels: "I find it deplorable," he exclaimed at the microphone of Céline Géraud. "These are attacks that are destructive for the French Tennis Federation," he continued. Regarding the employees who have resigned, Gilles Moretton evokes people who "left the federation in favor of the Paris 2024 Olympics or the 2023 Rugby World Cup" which will take place in France.

The former tennis teacher also points the finger at his detractors who, for some, had done everything to prevent him from taking the head of the French Tennis Federation. During the 2021 elections, the 65-year-old ensures that "we wanted to change the statutes and regulations of the federation" so that he could not run: "With licensing stories, they wanted to change the regulations for me, especially for me." However, the latter wanted to highlight the good results from a financial point of view. Gilles Moretton assures him, he will continue to work for French tennis despite the attacks he suffers on a daily basis, even if his work is obstructed. "When I am attacked like this, it is all the French leaders that are attacked and I think it is prejudicial," he concluded.