KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Noel Le Graet has been forced, reluctantly, to give up his hope of holding on to a place on the FIFA Council despite being ousted as president of the French federation over sexual harassment allegations.

Le Graet had originally been expected to be chosen unopposed to continue with the world body as a delegate of European federation UEFA.

However a trio of objections made his position untenable – first of all his domestic difficulties, secondly his being beyond the UEFA age limit and, thirtly, a conflict of interest as a FIFA employee in its new Paris office

UEFA Congress is being staged at the Lisbon Congress Center on April 5 and Fernando Gomes, president of the Portuguese federation, will be elected unchallenged in place of Le Graet. Gomes, 71, is stepping down from the UEFA executive committee after exceeding the age limit.

President Aleksandr Ceferin is also standing for re-election unopposed.

The role of FIFA vice-president is between Hungarian Sándor Csányi, being challenged by Finland’s Ari Lahti while Debbie Hewitt and David Martin contest the role of British FIFA vice-president.

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