The Noël Le Graët era at the head of the French Football Federation officially ended on Tuesday 208 February. The 81-year-old leader, first elected in 2011 and then reappointed in 2012, 2017 and 2021, announced his resignation to his executive committee after several months of turbulence, marked by accusations of harassment, an overwhelming audit mission by the ‘General Inspectorate of Education, Sport and Research (IGESR), and several verbal slippages.
After the withdrawal of Le Graët on January 11, the interim at the head of the FFF had been provided by Philippe Diallo, a 59-year-old man who is discreet and unknown to the general public despite his position as vice-president of the body. . In accordance with the statutes, he will continue “to temporarily exercise the presidential functions”, until the next Federal Assembly, scheduled for Junesaid several members of the Comex.
Described as consensual and fine connoisseur of the actors and mysteries of football for three decades by those who rubbed shoulders with him, the native of Saint-Nazaire led for nearly thirty years (from 1992 to 2021) the Union of Professional Football Clubs (UCPF), an employers’ union. Son of a Senegalese boxing champion, Philippe Diallo notably played an important role in the reforms of player transfers, showing political skill.
Passed by Sciences Po Paris
A graduate in public law and business law, passed by Sciences Po Paris, he joined the FFF by joining the Christmas list Le Graët in March 2021. First general treasurer, he climbed the organizational chart by becoming deputy vice-president in December 2021 when Brigitte Henriques took over as head of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF). Since 2013, Philippe Diallo has also been at the head of the Social Council of the Sports Movement (Cosmos), an employers’ organization bringing together several thousand structures – clubs, leagues, event organizers.
