In the midst of a government investigation for alleged inappropriate behavior, the president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Noel Le Graet, denied that he has a bad relationship with the star of the national team, Kylian Mbappé, and criticized that “demagoguery” » with the World Cup in Qatar.
In a lengthy interview in Le Parisien, published two weeks after the start of the official inspection ordered by complaints of sexual harassment, Le Graet, 80, addresses the latest controversies that have affected the atmosphere of the world champion team, which defends his throne in Qatar in less than a month.
The leader spoke about his relationship with Mbappé, which has had ups and downs, the most recent due to discrepancies in the management of image rights in Les Bleus.
«Many counter-truths have been said, such as that he asked for more money. That is false! He has never questioned the distribution of image rights (22,000 euros per game),” Le Graet declared, just as PSG striker Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane sent a letter to the FFF, on behalf of the PSG players. France, to request a new legal framework that differentiates collective and individual image rights.
“We are going to advance intelligently (…) We will change some elements of the collective agreement, the players want to know in advance the sponsors with whom they will take photos,” said the leader, thus responding to the demands led by Mbappé, who does not want to be associated with bookmakers or fast food brands.
Regarding the criticism that Qatar is receiving for not having respected the rights of the workers of the World Cup facilities, he assured that the FFF “will be aware” of the human rights that concern it, but clarified that it will not “demagogy” either.
“I am very far from defending what is done there, but today it is very easy to tear your hair out about that country (Qatar). It had to have been done in 2010, when he was appointed. Now it’s too late,” he stressed.
La Graet recalled that, among the 211 countries affiliated with FIFA, there are many with “a concept of law that is far removed from ours or from the one in force in Europe.” For the president of the FFF, “thanks to the World Cup, Qatar will progress more quickly.”
Regarding this tournament, he denied that the bad atmosphere in the institution could affect the players -one of its pillars, Paul Pogba, is experiencing a convulsive family episode- and confirmed that the bonus for revalidating the title will be 30% of the prize that FIFA awarded to the winning team (equivalent to 12 million euros, which would correspond to about 440,000 euros for each player).
Likewise, he announced that if France reaches the minimum objective, the semifinals, the renewal of coach Didier Deschamps will be the priority.
On the accusations of inappropriate behavior with several of his subordinates, he criticized “the media court” and social networks and asserted that “there is no hidden matter of sexual harassment” in the FFF.
“I never harassed anyone,” Le Graet said, saying he waits “serenely” for the results of the government investigation. EFE
