PARIS (AP) 鈥 French soccer federation president No毛l Le Gra毛t resigned Tuesday after a government audit found he no longer had the legitimacy to lead because of his behavior toward women and his management style.
The 81-year-old Le Gra毛t is under judicial investigation for alleged sexual and moral harassment. He had already stepped away from his duties until the audit鈥檚 findings were reviewed by the federation鈥檚 executive committee.
He submitted his resignation to a meeting of the executive committee Tuesday, according to a statement from the federation.
Federation vice president Philippe Diallo will handle Le Gra毛t鈥檚 duties on an interim basis until June 2023, the statement said.
Amid growing criticism of Le Gra毛t last year, French sports minister Am茅lie Oud茅a-Cast茅ra ordered the audit into the federation in September.
The audit report, based on more than 100 interviews and analysis of various documents, concluded last month that Le Gra毛t鈥檚 behavior toward women was inappropriate, and highlighted other dysfunctions at the federation. It also noted that its policy against gender-based and sexual violence is 鈥渘either effective or efficient.鈥
The federation praised Le Gra毛t's 鈥渞emarkable sporting and economic results鈥 as head of the soccer body since 2011. It reiterated its 鈥渟trong commitment against gender-based and sexual violence鈥 and sought to distance itself from the audit.
Le Gra毛t has had a strong relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and it was unclear on Tuesday what the status was of his two positions at soccer's world body.
Infantino appointed Le Gra毛t in January 2022 as his personal delegate to FIFA's satellite office in Paris that includes liaising with member federations in Europe and Africa.
Le Gra毛t is also a candidate to retain his $250,000-a-year seat on FIFA's ruling council which is elected by UEFA member federations, and is due for renewal in five weeks' time.
In a as having been 鈥渁n excellent president of the French Football Federation鈥 including overseeing hosting the 2019 Women's World Cup. It noted his two FIFA positions without updating on their status.
Despite the controversy surrounding the French soccer body, Le Gra毛t has not publicly withdrawn his candidacy to stand in an April 5 vote at the UEFA Congress in Lisbon, Portugal. His scheduled opponent is Fernando Gomes, a UEFA vice president from Portugal.
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