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A second Miss Universe judge has resigned days ahead of the pageant, scheduled to be held on Friday, Nov. 21, in Bangkok, Thailand.
French soccer manager and former soccer pro Claude Makélélé announced he would no longer serve as a judge in an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
“Regretfully, I will not be attending Miss Universe 2025,” the brief statement began. “Thank you for your understanding and support.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Makélélé for comment.
Makélélé’s resignation comes hours after another pageant judge, composer Omar Harfouch, announced his resignation.
In a series of Instagram Stories posts, Harfouch shared his “profound confusion and concern,” claiming that an “impromptu jury” was formed to choose 30 finalists from the 136 countries meant to participate.
Harfouch claimed that he learned about the selection committee via social media. He also alleged that none of the “real” eight judges were present when the group convened.
“The results of this selection are currently being kept secret,” the pianist wrote on his Instagram Stories.
In a second Instagram Stories post, Harfouch alleged that the unofficial judging panel is “composed of individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some [personal] relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants, including the person responsible for counting the votes and managing the results, which constitutes a further conflict of interest.”
He then claimed to have spoken up to Miss Universe officials regarding his “disapproval of this preliminary selection.” Harfouch claimed that the pageant responded by rushing “to publish a list of names associated with the selection on their Instagram page,” though he notes that the post did not specify “the [roles] played by these [individuals].”
He was likely referring to Miss Universe’s recent upload featuring a carousel of selection committee members, which was shared on Monday, Nov. 17. Harfouch was not one of the eight people included in the post, which was captioned, “Meet the inspiring members of the Beyond the Crown Selection Committee for the 74th Miss Universe Competition✨.”
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The pageant’s response, Harfouch said, created “even greater confusion.”
In a final Instagram Stories message, Harfouch concluded that he would not be participating in the upcoming Miss Universe competition.
“After having a disrespectful conversation with [Miss Universe CEO] Raul Rocha about the lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process, l decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade,” Harfouch wrote. “I will also not be playing the music composed for the event.”
On Nov. 18, the Miss Universe Organization posted a statement on the pageant’s official Instagram page, stating its intention to “clarify certain inaccuracies regarding the Beyond the Crown Program and the official judging processes of the 74th Miss Universe competition.”
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The organization claimed Harfouch’s comments shared on his Stories were incorrect. “The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,” the statement read.
“Given [Mr. Harfouch’s] expressed confusion, his public mischaracterization of the program, and his stated desire not to participate, the Miss Universe Organization respectfully acknowledges his withdrawal from the official judging panel,” the organization wrote.
The statement went on to publicly prohibit the former judge from “using, displaying, referencing, or associating himself with any Miss Universe trademarks, service marks, logos, titles, or registered properties, in any format, medium, or communication, whether digital, written, or verbal.”
“The Miss Universe Organization encourages the public, media outlets, and fans worldwide to rely solely on verified MUO communications and to continue supporting the delegates whose leadership, service, and dedication reflect the true values of Miss Universe,” the organization concluded.
The controversies regarding judging came shortly after a viral video livestreamed via Facebook on Nov. 4 showed an altercation between pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil and Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch.
In the video, beauty queens representing countries around the world sat in rows in front of Itsaragrisil. Speaking directly into the microphone, he stated that the women were all expected to “promote the host country.”
The Miss Universe Organization did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
