Noël Le Graët, French football's most powerful administrator for more than a decade, was on Wednesday humiliatingly sidelined from his post as president of the Fédération française de football (FFF), reports RFI.
Le Graët's retirement was announced nearly 18 months before the end of his fourth term as supremo of the outfit that runs football throughout the country.
The 81-year-old had been fighting a rearguard action to keep his job since Sunday following disparaging comments made during a radio interview on the French broadcaster RMC about the former France international Zinedine Zidane.
Asked whether the 50-year-old former Real Madrid boss had contacted the FFF about possibly replacing Didier Deschamps as head coach of the France national team, Le Graët responded: "I wouldn't even have taken his call on the phone.
"To tell him what? 'Hello sir, don't worry, look for another club, I just agreed a contract with Didier."