Le Graet Elected FFF President to Replace Duchaussoy

Noel Le Graet was elected to replace Fernand Duchaussoy as president of the French Football Federation (FFF) after a difficult year for the body in relation to the national team’s dreadful performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Le Graet received more than half of the votes cast in Saturday’s, June 18, election. despite not standing in the December vote which initially confirmed Duchaussoy in his post with 79.4% of the vote, Le Graet picked up 54.39% of the ballot on Saturday.

Le Graet is the president of Ligue 2 outfit Guingamp, is a former French League president and has been FFF vice-president since 2005, and told AFP: “My most important immediate task is to put Joel Muller (head of the French coaches association) to work to meet with the national coaches, to define a strategic plan and then to introduce a national technical director with a clear way forward.”

Jean-Pierre Escalettes resigned as FFF chief after the team returned from the finals in South Africa and Duchaussoy took over as interim head.

Le Graet’s term will run until December 2012, and he said: “One can lay down ones marker. Things will happen. After that people will decide once again for an important mandate which will take us up to the hosting of Euro 2016. And the federation will be far better off economically.”