Le Graet elected as French federation chief

Noel Le Graet was yesterday elected as president of the French Football Federation (FFF) after obtaining 54.39 per cent of votes cast.

Main rival and outgoing president Fernand Duchaussoy scored 45.40 per cent leaving Le Graet the victor after a sole round of voting.

Duchaussoy had been expected to win the contest but will now return to a role in the amateur game in northern France.

He has paid the price for a difficult year enduring the fallout from France’s humiliating World Cup showing – a first-round exit made worse by a very public player mutiny in the wake of the sending home of Nicolas Anelka for an outburst against former coach Raymond Domenech.

Former FFF supremo Jean-Pierre Escalettes – who himself stepped down as FFF president after the tournament – said he believed Duchaussoy had lost at least partly as a result of “the difficult year he has had” since the World Cup fiasco in South Africa, which saw players refuse to train after Anelka was sent back home in disgrace.

Escalettes resigned after the team returned from the finals in South Africa and Duchaussoy took over as interim head – but the fallout has continued after the player strike sullied France’s sporting image worldwide.

Further issues, including rows over player bonuses and race quotas for the national team, amid fears that France was investing in the development of youngsters only to see them opt to play at full international level for their country of origin, did not help his cause.

“The one in situ is not the one with the best chance of getting re-elected, as he is the one who takes all the flak and Fernand has had a difficult year,” said Escalettes.

Le Graet, 69, had been FFF vice-president since 2005 and he is also president of second tier outfit Guingamp.

He is also a former French League president. He did not stand in the December vote which initially confirmed Duchaussoy in his post with 79.4 per cent of the vote.

One factor in Le Graet’s favour was his netting of €42 million-a-year contract with kit supplier Nike.

He now has until December of next year to impress as federation president before another election is ­scheduled.