In an interview with the newspaper “L’Équipe”, the 1998 world champion spoke about the controversies that have affected the FFF for a few weeks.
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The world of football has been shaken by the controversies surrounding the president of its federation, Noël Le Graët, since the beginning of the year. Controversies that inevitably affect Bixente Lizarazu, 1998 world champion and now sports consultant. Longtime friend of Didier Deschamps, but also of Zinédine Zidane, the Basque said he regretted, in an interview with the newspaper The Teamthe way in which Noël Le Graët extended the contract of the coach of the Blues and ousted his potential successor out of hand.
Not only does Bixente Lizarazu regret that the president of the FFF did not consult his Comex before making his decision – a decision he nevertheless supports: “Clearly, [Didier Deschamps] won the right to continue the adventure” – but above all the former player criticizes him for the duration of this contract, which runs until 2026. “Continuity, it should have been two more years and we see after the Euro, estimates the sports consultant. It seemed healthier to me, especially since Didier will already have had a twelve-year lease at the head of the Blues. »
“Zizou deserves so much attention and consideration”
Bixente Lizarazu especially deplores “that the subject of the future of the coach of the Blues has been treated with bias by Le Graët”. For him, “Zizou deserves[ait] as much attention and consideration as Didier”. “It’s a story of balance and fairness”, proclaims the former side, who asserts: “The French team does not belong to Noël Le Graët, nor to Didier Deschamps, nor to anyone else. . It belongs to everyone. »
Also, after Noël Le Graët’s controversial remarks concerning Zinedine Zidane – “the straw that broke the camel’s back” -, Bixente Lizarazu believes that the withdrawal of the president of the FFF, “it was the minimum that the Comex could do”. The former world champion, however, did not speak on the accusations of sexual and moral harassment against Noël Le Graët and for which an investigation has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office.