Further CNOSF controversy with reports Masseglia sought to conceal expenses

Former CNOSF President Denis Masseglia reportedly sought for half of his expenses as Honorary President to be invoiced to a third-party company ©Getty Images

Further controversy has struck the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) a little over a year before the country stages the Olympic Games in Paris, after former head Denis Masseglia reportedly sought to conceal his total expenses as ambassador and Honorary President.

Masseglia led the CNOSF from 2009 until reaching the age limit in 2021 and being replaced by Brigitte Henriques.

However, Masseglia has urged his successor to stand down claiming she is "no longer up to the challenge", and said he intends to issue a complaint against her with the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office for alleged misuse of corporate assets.

Relations between the pair have become increasingly strained since Didier Séminet was axed as secretary general following a secret ballot at an extraordinary meeting of the CNOSF Board of Directors in September last year.

In a fresh storm at the CNOSF, French newspaper Le Monde has reported Masseglia unsuccessfully proposed to Henriques in January last year to invoice half of his expenses as Honorary President, which included a supportive role at the Tokyo 2020 Summer and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Masseglia emailed Henriques and CNOSF treasurer Michel Callot on January 2 2022 expressing "concern regarding the overall amount of these mission expenses and to the comments that this could give rise to".

He estimated his expenses from his CNOSF trips would amount around €30,000 (£26,100/$32,400), and suggested half could be invoiced to the National Olympic Committee and the other half to a third-party company.

"It will certainly not escape the Court of Auditors to underline what it will consider illogical, even inappropriate and to conclude that it does not understand that the mission expenses of the Honorary President are of the same order or higher than those which were his when he was President," Masseglia wrote.

"We can always explain or try to do so, the conclusion is so relentless that you can be sure that nothing will do and that in the end you and I (and more broadly the CNOSF) will be marked by it, including a possibility of typical media coverage."

A public dispute has emerged between CNOSF President Brigitte Henriques and her predecessor Denis Masseglia ©Getty Images

Masseglia's suggested that €15,000 (£13,000/$16,200) of costs invoiced to the CNOSF "should not attract unpleasant comments".

Henriques is reported to have replied the following day refusing the suggestion.

Masseglia insisted he had not committed any wrongdoing.

"I did not want to be the one who had the highest expense reports at the CNOSF when I was not elected, nor to weigh charges to the CNOSF," he told Le Monde.

"I indicated the risk that there could be with this configuration and measured what could be reasonable in terms of appearance.

"I can be told it was wrong, picking me up, but there was nothing illegal for me.

"I proposed this arrangement with this company - which I created by taking the lead - whose receipts could have been inspected in complete transparency and open book, without the desire to enrich myself or take a commission, a percentage on a marketing contract.

"The objective was to invoice conferences to compensate for my €15,000 of remaining expenses out of an envelope estimated at €30,000.

"And this while my expenses as president amounted to €40,000 (£34,800/$43,300) annually without hotel accommodation."