The story begins in August 2023, yes it goes back a bit. When the French Athletics Federation (FFA) sent to all the committees in France and Overseas its request for an overhaul of the statutes, in particular the choice of electoral ballots, the goal was to comply with a new law of sport and that everyone works the same way. Two ballot choices were offered.
“As for CD 33, we had experienced a previous turbulent mandate with a deadlock during a vote where the steering committee proposed a candidate for the presidency that the general assembly did not approve,” recalls the president of the committee. , Olivier Mauffrey, suspended from all his functions (he was also president of the Léognan club) since November 7. It was also after this blockage that I was elected. We wanted to avoid going through that again and made proposals to the FFA. »
2/3 of the discord
From September 2023 to June 2024, the two parties exchange. Then, in an imminent electoral context – the elections for the head of the FFA are scheduled for December 9 to 14 – and people supporting opposing national lists among CD 33, the climate became tense. The FFA finally decided to convene an extraordinary AGM, on September 13, to submit the two ballot choices to the vote of the Girondin clubs. The president of the FFA, André Giraud, made the trip.
However, neither choice obtained the 2/3 majority required by the regulations. The Federation's steering committee then met on September 24 to find a solution. Olivier Mauffrey asked to attend this meeting. In vain. He sent a letter to propose a final solution close to the initial request of the Federation. No response. “Without this 2/3 majority, the blockage was clear and the committee was unable to function, hence the placement under supervision decided by me and my steering committee,” summarizes André Giraud.
The Gironde committee wanted to defend itself. Through Maître Matthieu Barandas, he appealed to the administrative court of Bordeaux on October 7, on the merits and in summary proceedings, to request a suspension of the guardianship. In his pleading of November 14, the lawyer highlighted in particular the absence of adversarial arguments, the insufficiency of the Federation's arguments and questioned the legality of the decision. The judge considered that there was no doubt about the legality of the decision and rejected the request. The proceedings on the merits are still ongoing.
“If they don’t fall into line”…
“All the committees adopted the statutes except Gironde,” regrets André Giraud. But the blocking situation was there and if they do not fall into line, they will be placed under supervision, that's what the internal regulations of the Federation say. » However, no line of the 19 pages of the regulation bears this mention. This is normal, it can only be put in place after going to court. And the Federation knows this since, on October 21, it sent a letter to the Girondin committee to warn it of its referral to this famous court, not for placement under guardianship but for the higher level of administrative sanction: provisional administration . “The arguments of unpaid salaries and endangerment of the committee have been put forward, all of this is false,” defends Olivier Mauffrey. The measure was officially put in place on November 7 for a period of 6 months with a steering committee which is now responsible for managing the committee.
The last procedural front therefore concerns Olivier Mauffrey, suspended from his functions by the president of the Federation. “The 2/3 majority was not found by the voting clubs and as president of the committee, Mr. Mauffrey was responsible for its proper functioning,” explains André Giraud. Which is no longer the case.” Would there be good and bad votes and would Olivier Mauffrey be responsible according to the FFA? “I’m trying to take a step back,” he replies. Even if at the same time, I am considering filing a complaint for forgery and use of forgery against the Federation following a strange report from a steering committee on October 21. Four members told me that they were not aware and two that what was written did not correspond at all to what they voted for. There are days when I wonder if it's worth it and others when I tell myself that these authoritarian methods must stop and the functioning of the federation must be reformed.
And athletics in all this? At one time threatened by the vagueness created by a placement under supervision that was never applied then by the time of the establishment of the steering committee, the two junior and minimal criteria planned for this weekend, at Bordeaux-Lac, should well have place.
