PARIS
\nFrench football chief Noel Le Graet could face criminal proceedings after a claim of a \u201csexist outrage\u201d was made against him, Le Monde reported on Saturday.
\nThe report was submitted to the Paris public prosecutor following testimony from Sonia Souid, an agent for several French internationals, during an audit of the French Football Federation (FFF).
\nSports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said she had been informed by the head of the auditing body that a report had been made in accordance with the criminal code.
\nLe Graet, 81, was forced to step down last week until the completion of the audit.
\nIn a statement to AFP on Saturday, he said he was stunned by leaks to the media.
\n\u201cI have just read with astonishment an article in Le Monde reporting leaks in the provisional audit report being prepared,\u201d he said in a statement.
\n\u201cAt this stage I know neither the facts of which I am accused nor the people who are behind them.
\n\u201cMore generally, I am surprised that information can be disclosed even though the interim report has not yet been sent to me and I have not been able to submit my observations.\u201d
\nDuring interviews with sports daily L\u2019Equipe and broadcaster RMC, Souid accused Le Graet of unwanted sexual advances, claiming she felt \u201cthe only thing that interested him, and I apologise for speaking vulgarly, are my breasts and my ass\u201d.
\nIn French law, \u201csexist outrage\u201d refers to a statement or behaviour with a sexual or sexist connotation which undermines a person\u2019s dignity or exposes him or her to a distressing situation.
\nThe offence can be punished with a fine of up to 750 euros.
\nLe Graet, in charge of the FFF since 2011 and with a mandate due to run until 2024, had faced calls to resign after what he admitted were \u201cclumsy remarks\u201d about Zinedine Zidane\u2019s potential interest in coaching the French national team.
\nHe had said \u201cwouldn\u2019t even have taken his call\u201d when asked whether Zidane, a World Cup winner as a player and an all-time France great, had rung him to express an interest in taking over as coach from Didier Deschamps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARIS French football chief Noel Le Graet could face criminal proceedings after a claim of a \u201csexist outrage\u201d was made against him, Le Monde reported on Saturday. The report was submitted to the Paris public prosecutor following testimony from Sonia Souid, an agent for several French internationals, during an audit of the French Football Federation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-307789","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n