French Football Federation (FFF) president Noël Le Grae has resigned.
The French Football Federation said on its official website on the 11th (Korean time), “Chairman Grae has agreed with the federation executive committee held in Paris today and is stepping down as president of the federation until the final announcement of the audit conducted by the Ministry of Sports and is awaiting the results. The federation Filipe Diallo, vice-president of the company, will assume an interim role as of today.”
It is analyzed that it is the aftermath of a mistake. In a recent interview with French media ‘RMC Sport’, President Grae said, “Zidane’s appointment to the Brazilian national team? I am not shaken. I have nothing to do with Zidane’s coaching job, I do what I want to do. I’ve never met Zidane, and we have no intention of parting ways with Didier Deschamps.”
Zidane was a strong figure as the next head coach of the French national team. Even before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was over, Zidane’s appointment seemed predestined to the extent that there were rumors that Zidane would be appointed to the French national team once the tournament was over. However, the French Football Federation decided to accompany Deschamps until 2026, highly appreciating the achievements of coach Deschamps, who led the team to the World Cup finals in two consecutive competitions. Only Zidane’s position has become ambiguous. 스포츠토토
As a result, he was connected to another vacant team, the Brazilian national team. Brazil reached out to Zidane as they prepared for the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America with a coach who proved himself after Chichi resigned. The Brazilian national team contacted Zidane through Ronaldo, a legend of their country and a colleague of Zidane, but Zidane rejected the offer and it was canceled. Chairman Grae’s remarks were about this.
President Grae’s words were problematic because Zidane is a French legend. Zidane’s presence in French football is absolute. When President Grae’s remarks became known, the national team’s ace, Kylian Mbappe, came out and defended Zidane on social media. To that extent, touching Zidane was considered a serious matter within France. Public opinion also turned its back on President Grae.
In the end, I came to the ‘resignation ending’. With this incident, President Grae seems to have realized what happens if he touches Zidane the wrong way.