One of FIFA’s official cars stayed in Paris long after Noël Le Graët had left the French Football Federation, with the world governing body only recently moving to recover it. The vehicle had been made available to the former FFF president during his trips to the capital after his February 2023 departure from French football’s governing body.
Le Graët, 84, had been appointed as a delegate to FIFA president Gianni Infantino following the end of his FFF tenure. The car remained at his disposal until this spring, during a period in which FIFA has faced continuing controversy around its leadership.
Quick facts
- Noël Le Graët left the French Football Federation in February 2023.
- FIFA provided him with an official vehicle for visits to Paris.
- The car was parked at FIFA’s Paris annexe and driven by Le Graët’s personal chauffeur.
- That chauffeur is employed by Le Graët’s Brittany-based agri-food group.
- Le Graët says he received no salary for his FIFA role and submitted no expense claims.
The former French football chief said he used the car at the beginning of his assignment, before handing it back when he stopped travelling to Paris regularly. He linked the reduced travel to health problems.
Le Graët said FIFA had covered only certain trips he made to Morocco and Mauritania. He insisted that his advisory role had been unpaid and that he had not charged expenses to the organisation.
FIFA did not provide clarification on the terms under which the vehicle had been assigned, nor on the cost of maintaining the arrangement. The episode adds an administrative footnote to Le Graët’s post-FFF period, which began after his departure from the federation in February 2023.
