Gilbert Ysern, the tournament director of the French Open and director general of the French tennis federation, appears to be on the verge of being fired.
"The French federation has made it public that a procedure, which could lead up to removal, has been initiated against Ysern," the federation said in a statement.
French newspaper L'Equipe had previously published a story saying Ysern had already been fired. A translation of his comments by *AFP* and *Reuters* quoted him describing the move as "very brutal," saying, "I'm a bother, but I have done nothing wrong."
It follows a period of significant tension between Ysern and federation president Jean-Paul Gachassin regarding the controversial removal of Arnaud Clement as Davis Cup captain—said to be led by Gachassin—and delays to the French Open construction project, of which Ysern is in charge.
Ysern joined the federation in 2008.
The federation was also recently hit by allegations of financial misconduct by top officials, including the selling of French Open tickets and the use of official cars. Gachassin was implicated in some of the allegations but has denied any improper behavior. According to French newspaper Le Parisien, a government-commissioned investigation into the financial conduct of the federation has been recently delivered to the French ministry of sport.
It has been further mired in controversy regarding the location of the first-round Davis Cup tie in Guadeloupe. The French territory was selected for the tie by recently appointed captain Yannick Noah despite objections from the majority of the top players, and the site has also run into cost concerns. France plays Canada in the first-round tie.
The assistant director general of the federation will step in on an interim basis.