We knew the volcano had been awake for a while, but the violence of the eruption which shook the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) does not fail to astonish. Thursday, May 25, the body must hold its general assembly, at the Maison du sport français, in the 13e district of Paris. In an attempt to get out of a crisis of governance that has lasted for many months, some members of the CNOSF recommend organizing a vote of confidence – which is not provided for in the statutes – on the action of the president, Brigitte Henriques, elected in June 2021.
Fourteen months before the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, there is an urgent need to calm the atmosphere at the CNOSF. On Wednesday May 17, the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, estimated that “the sports movement can in no way afford such divisions (…) in front of the whole world”. “This house must come back in order with all the stakeholders”, insisted the minister.
THE “stakeholders” are numerous at the CNOSF, but the more the body sinks into the crisis, the more it seems obvious that the root of the problem is the fierce fight in which Denis Masseglia, 75, president of the CNOSF from 2009 to 2021, and his successor, Mr.me Henriques, 52, who was previously vice-president of the French Football Federation (FFF) and CNOSF.
Disturbing new elements
In this incendiary context, The world became aware of disturbing new elements. According to our information, Mr. Masseglia unsuccessfully offered, in an email that we consulted, in January 2022, to Mr.me Henriques a financial package intended to conceal, in particular from the Court of Auditors, the total amount of the costs that he intended to be reimbursed as honorary president and ambassador of the CNOSF.
According to his December 2021 mission statement, consulted by The worldMr. Masseglia had to fulfill a ceremonial role and “accompaniment and assistance” on several events such as the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021 and the Beijing Winter Games in 2022, and “facilitate the relationship between partners and advertisers” with the Reworld Media group (Media 365) for Sport in France, the television channel created in 2019 under the aegis of the CNOSF.
In an email sent on January 2, 2022 in the evening to Mme Henriques and to Michel Callot, General Treasurer of the CNOSF and President of the French Cycling Federation, Mr. Masseglia “part of [sa] concern about the overall amount of these mission expenses and the comments that this could give rise to, adding that he “it is possible or even likely that the overall amount will be of the same order or higher as honorary president” as active president of the CNOSF.
You have 71.74% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.