Noël Le Graët, 82 years old, comes out of silence. On Sunday, November 3, the former president of the French Football Federation (FFF), who resigned in February 2023, reacted to the World after the dismissal, on October 17, of the preliminary investigation opened in January 2023 by the Paris prosecutor’s office for “moral and sexual harassment.”
What is the reason for the classification?
The reason is clear: the file is empty, the investigation did not reveal any sexual or moral harassment on my part. This is the best I could have hoped for. Why was there a criminal case? The wait is long. I have been in poor health since last spring.
Nobody accused me, nobody filed a complaint against me. I received the decision ten months after my hearing. I would have preferred to have it sooner.
What does this ranking mean to you?
It is a relief for my wife, my three daughters and my nine grandchildren. My family was very close, my two lawyers [Florence Bourg et Thierry Marembert] Also. People can always ask themselves: “There is no smoke without fire.” » You are in uncertainty, on a boat of drunks.
On January 13, 2023, the general inspection of education, sport and investigation issued a report against you to the Public Ministry within the framework of the audit commissioned to the FFF by the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra…
In January 2023 [juste avant le signalement]I saw the chief inspector. He told me: “This file is cat pee, you can go on vacation.” » I almost want to thank the Minister for having made this article 40 [du code de procédure pénale].
This classification of justice calls into question the report of the administrative investigation, which was carried out in a biased manner and under political pressure. If this criminal investigation had not existed, only the inspection report would have remained. I allegedly sent sexual messages to everyone. They didn’t find any. I never sent one. I felt trapped in the confusion. There was a desire to do harm: to behead the head of the FFF.
METROme Did Oudéa-Castéra want your head?
She did what she thought she had to do. It’s so unfair. You can’t mix everything. He didn’t realize this could ruin a family. She could reproach me. I didn’t like it very much and it showed very clearly. But from there to setting up a clique of this type. You really have to want to free someone.
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