His arrival on Saturday as president of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) was much less publicized than the re-elections of Philippe Diallo and Gilles Moretton, respectively at the head of the FFF and the FFT on the same day. And for good reason, Jean-Pierre Huckler did not face any opposition (95.41% of the votes collected) and he embodies continuity, after having been the vice-president of Jean-Pierre Siutat for the last fourteen years.
Likewise, unlike many federations having gone through serious crises in recent months/years (football, tennis, fencing, judo, rugby, etc.), the FFBB appeared to be a model student of French sport. A status reinforced by a record number of licensees this year (nearly 766,000) and the three beautiful silver medals obtained by the French basketball players during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (men and women in 5×5 and the men's 3×3 team).
By clicking on“I accept”you accept the deposit of cookies by external services and will thus have access to the content of our partners.
More information on the Cookie management policy page
I accept
Moral harassment denounced by 18 employees?
Yes, but an investigation published Friday by Liberation attenuates this exciting picture drawn on the surface. It discusses numerous internal dysfunctions linked to the behavior of certain managers, of which several authorities, such as the Ministry of Sports, have been informed. Nicknamed “the Château du 117”, the headquarters of the FFBB, located at 117 rue du Château-des-Rentiers (Paris 13th), is thus the scene of “toxic management”, according to several testimonies collected by Libération for nearly two years.
This headquarters, which now has 150 employees, is said by employees to be marked by discomfort, overwork, a lack of consideration and a sexist climate. No less than 18 employees claim to have been victims of situations that could amount to moral harassment, which led to sick leave, contractual terminations or a “strong feeling of distress”.
Jean-Pierre Huckler advocates “the spirit of openness”
Six managers from the basketball federation, still in the federal fold, are said to be involved. Even if no complaint has yet been filed, the context would be very tense, particularly since the controversial double hat of national technical director (DTN) and general director (DG) obtained by Alain Contensoux in 2018.
We also learn in the Libération investigation that in May 2023, a CSE report indicates that “alerts about racist and potentially sexist comments were reported to it”. Elected for four years, Jean-Pierre Huckler (65 years old) will therefore try to calm a climate that has become tense, over the three consecutive mandates of Jean-Pierre Siutat. This summer, he even experienced an altercation with Evan Fournier, in the Blues locker room, after the disappointing first round of the Olympic Games, which was then highly publicized.
Our file on the French basketball team
“I want to bring together all the players in our sport in a positive spirit,” Jean-Pierre Huckler immediately indicated on Saturday. This former high-level referee insists on the “spirit of openness” that he wishes to instil at the head of a French basketball federation which was also visibly on the verge of a crisis in its previous cycle.
