French football gears up for Black Tuesday

2023-02-28 12:55

French football gears up for Black Tuesday


French football is bracing for a major reorganization as the president of the National Football Association and the women's football head coach are expected to step down on Tuesday.


Noel Le Gratt , who has been in charge of the FFF since 2011 and has stepped back amid a legal probe into alleged sexual and moral harassment and a scathing audit commissioned by the sports ministry, will form the centerpiece of the executive committee on Tuesday.

If he refuses to step down, Noel Le Gratte, 81 , could be taken to the FFF 's disciplinary committee or executive committee to resign to force a new election.

" Given the governance failure and his gross inappropriate behavior towards women, I can only agree with the report's conclusion: he no longer has the legitimacy to manage and represent French football, " sports minister Castella said earlier this month.

Le Graet also came under fire for his dismissive comments about France great Zinedine Zidane after extending the contract of men's coach Didier Deschamps until 2026 , and women's coach Corinne Diackre may Follow in his footsteps.

French football gears up for Black Tuesday

Leonard will not play in this year's Women's World Cup

Diacre's position has been flimsy since captain Wendy Renard said last week that she would not play in this year's Women's World Cup to preserve her mental health.

Internationals Marie - Antoinette Catoto and Kadidiato Diani followed suit shortly after her announcement, both saying they would quit the national team .

Widely regarded as one of the best defenders in women's football, Reinard featured in France's internationals against Norway, Denmark and Uruguay earlier this month.

According to French multimedia media RMC Sport , as long as Diakre is still there, Renard will not play for the national team.

Diacke , 48 , became the first French woman to manage a men's team in 2014 when he took charge of then Ligue 2 side Clermont, and was named France manager in 2017 .

Reynal was stripped of the captain's armband by Diacke after his Euro 2017 quarter-final exit, before regaining it in 2021 .

Diacre had previously drawn criticism from other French players, including Gaetanettini and Sara Buhadi.

The coach was also criticized for leaving out influential senior player Amandine Henry and their all-time top scorer ( 86 goals) Eugenie Le Sommer from her 23 -man squad for last year's European Championships in England. criticize.

The French team was eliminated by the German team in the semi-finals.

" I can no longer support the current system, which falls far short of the highest level, " Renard said.

The Women's World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20 .