By Le Figaro
Published
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Update
Florence Hardouin, the former general manager of the FFF. Federico Pestellini
The former director of the French football federation came out of silence five months after her heart attack caused by her layoff in an interview with L’Équipe.
Florence Hardouin came out of the silence. A few months after the media whirlwind linked to the release of Noël Le Graët on Zinédine Zidane on RMC and the turbulence that followed at the FFF, the former general manager, laid off on January 11 before being dismissed for serious misconduct, decided to confide. She did it by giving an interview to L’Équipeafter repeatedly rejecting requests for interviews from the daily.
Five months after thistraumatic experience“, Florence Hardouin goes back in detail on the day she learned of her layoff: “I will remember all my life this 11 January. I was coming out of a professional lunch, I was in the street and I learned of my layoff from the media. The emotional shock was very strong. I didn’t understand what was happening to me.” she narrates.
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“I had a pain in my chest, it was hot. As I know my body well, I quickly knew that it was a bit serious. In the emergency room, they told me I had a heart attack. I was devastated. The word heart attack is scary. What I’m about to tell you may be silly, but I was afraid to dieshe says moved, continuing her description.
She also explains the nature of her heart attack which occurred last January: “It was so difficult that in the end, my body, my heart gave out. I did not have a “clic” heart attack but the tako-tsubo heart attack, “broken heart” in Japanese, there are very few cases. When you have a very strong emotional shock, the heart tightens“.
“Deschamps sent me a message two days after my heart attack and since then we have had no more contact. Florence Hardouin
After returning at length to this specific episode, Florence Hardouin was asked about the contours of her future professional. On this subject, the former CEO of the FFF was clear: “I don’t close any doors. In sports, in football or other opportunities. Me, I like when there is still a little adrenaline, events, managing profit centers“.
Regretting that some have “turned their backs on her”, she ures, in the midst of the crisis experienced by the FFF, to have worked for “protect the image of the federation, the functioning of the institution, with all the employees and all of its members“.
About the coach of the France team, Didier Deschamps, with whom she has long been close, she seems to regret his behavior: “He messaged me two days after my heart attack and since then we haven’t had any contact.“.
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Their relationship had deteriorated the day after Euro 2021, part of the staff considering him responsible for the poor accommodation and training conditions made available to the French team during the competition, which ended prematurely ( elimination in the round of 16 against Switzerland).
Regarding the strong criticism of her management practices, the former leader defended herself fiercely: “They said I was a monster. It’s true, I’m demanding. It’s also true that I set ambitious goals, but I made sure they were achievable and that we all reached them together with the employees.“.
“As soon as an objective was reached, hop I moved on to the next one. Besides, a CEO often says no. I could have said yes to everyone and then everyone would have loved me. When I had tough decisions to make, I made them. I can be cash and direct. Doesn’t appeal to everyone but does that make me a hateful, brutal person? ? I have flaws like everyone else, but frankly, I’m not the monster that has been describedshe hammered during the interview.