On 16 December 2016, Yves Ethève won the election of the Reunion Island Football League under the watchful eye of officials from the French Football Federation (FFF). It was an election with suspended voters, threats, dozens of proxies, and the absence of the minutes that normally ratify every election. But none of this mattered to the FFF: everything was fair game to help "their" candidate.
By Romain Molina
A historic crisis is shaking the French Football Federation (FFF). In addition to moral and sexual harassment, denounced in the columns of The New York Times in 2020, Josimar published a complete dossier in September 2022 on the FFF's silence regarding sexual abuse within its ranks, particularly against minors. An alarming finding that was confirmed by the audit commissioned by the Ministry of Sports, which spoke of a "heavy legacy" of sexual violence between 2004 and 2013, and that the national training centre at Clairefontaine was not suitable for minors at that time.
However, the bulk of the audit is based on the management of the president, Noël Le Graet, accused of moral and sexual harassment, and that of the general director, Florence Hardouin. Yet, the problems of the FFF go beyond these two individuals. "It is a whole system that needs to be re-examined," pointed out Thierry Braillard, former State Secretary for Sports. A system in which the leagues affiliated with the FFF are plagued by legal and scandalous issues, notably in Reunion.
President since 1983
Reunion Island is a French oversea...
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