The interim president of the FFF returned in an interview with AFP on Saturday to these first weeks of action, his management of a federation in crisis as well as his ambitions.
After the storm that shook the French Football Federation (FFF) around its former president Noël Le Graët, the “3F” “need to find calm”, pleaded the interim president Philippe Diallo in an interview given to AFP, Saturday, April 1. The latter also paved the way for an extension of its mission until 2024: “I would be hypocritical to say that it cannot interest me”, he admitted.
AFP: What is your assessment of your debut at the helm of the Federation, after the resignation of Noël Le Graët?
Philippe Diallo: After a few months of exercise, I think we can say that the Federation works. We are even in the process of starting its transformation. There is a need to find calm and I hope I have already contributed to this. We have read, here and there, that some wanted to question the legitimacy of the governance of football. All this made “pschitt”. The landscape is much more positive than the last few months might have led one to believe. There has been a crisis of governance, unquestionably, but French football has nothing to be ashamed of its performance.
How to proceed with recovery?
Since I arrived, a number of things have been done: an audit of the French women’s team, a selection committee for a new coach, for the recruitment of a new general manager. This shows, it seems to me, an evolution in the way of running the Federation. I am also committed to the aspect of sexual and gender-based violence where, I think, we have done a lot. This work is perhaps not well known, there will be a need to deepen it in all territories.
Would you like to be extended until the end of 2024 during the General Assembly in June?
My calendar leaves me little room to think about electoral deadlines. In June, we will go around the table (at the executive committee) and we will see who seems the most apt to finish the mandate. I would be quite hypocritical to say that it can’t interest me, but I don’t think about it every morning while shaving.
Is the executive committee, elected with Noël Le Graët at its head, intended to remain in place?
I believe that quite deeply. In a town hall, when the mayor does not finish his term, his first deputy takes over and we wait for the elections that follow. Who can blame us for applying the statutes? Members were elected with nearly 73% of the vote in 2021.
“I do not believe that the departure of Noël Le Graët calls into question the overall legitimacy of the Federation.”
Philippe Diallo, president of the FFFat AFP
Leaving the hand to strong personalities like Jean-Michel Aulas or Marc Keller, to whom we lend ambitions, isn’t it dangerous?
I don’t have that feeling. I know that the method that I introduced, with perhaps more collegial governance, could suggest that. But I don’t see why I would deprive myself of quality and competent people. Jean-Michel Aulas was one of the promoters of women’s football. I would have a badly placed ego not to assign her significant missions in women’s football. That would be a bit stupid of me. Marc Keller is a president recognized for his career. Why not rely on these qualities?
Could the incidents at the Stade de France on the sidelines of the Champions League final harm the French bid for the Women’s Euro 2025, whose host country will be designated on Tuesday?
I think we have a very good record, particularly in terms of eco-responsibility, which sets us apart. Despite the incidents at the Stade de France, France has shown on other occasions its ability to organize major events in the best possible conditions. I remain completely optimistic. We’ll see what the executive committee decides, but in any case, I think we’re in the running.
You are a candidate for the UEFA Comex. Have you convinced your peers?
I launched my candidacy late in the circumstances that you know, with an image of France that may have been blurred internationally. The events of January and February (resignation of Noël Le Graët, departure of Florence Hardouin) led France to lose its places in Fifa and UEFA. I took a risk, but I did it because I consider it normal for France to be represented in the highest levels of football. We will see on April 5 if I have succeeded in convincing my European counterparts.
Noël Le Graët was distinguished by his closeness to Gianni Infantino and Fifa, sometimes opposite to the positions of UEFA. Will you be on the same line?
My position will be that of a balance between the two institutions. If I am running at UEFA level, it is obviously to be loyal to them. But at the same time, we belong to a world body which has done us the honor of choosing Paris to have the headquarters of part of its offices. I will judge on a case-by-case basis, trying to find the balance between Fifa and UEFA. I have very good relations with Aleksander Ceferin and Gianni Infantino. I want to preserve them. I don’t want France to position itself in sterile quarrels, I want it to be one of the driving forces behind good coordination.
