Noël Le Graët, despite being 70 years old, is a candidate for his own succession as the president of the French Football Federation. The election will take place on December 15, and he will face two opponents: Christophe Bouchet (former president of Olympique de Marseille) and François Ponthieu (former president of the DNCG and former member of the old federal council). It is still uncertain whether Eric Thomas, president of the French Amateur Football Association, will be part of this race.
Confident in his candidacy, Le Graët stated, “I am starting the campaign again from November 20 (…) The federation has resolved many issues in the last sixteen months. The leagues and districts have obtained what they wanted. Relations between amateur and professional football are better. There are still difficulties, but the France A team is doing better, the women’s team is superb, and the youth selections are doing well. The Coupe de France brings together a maximum of clubs and has gained in popularity.”
“We have secured Euro 2016, now we need to work on it. I need a strong team by my side and solid employees.”
“During the last campaign, I never imagined for a second that I would lose. I realized from the first days that it was doable.”
