Portugal Colonial - Philippe Diallo elected new head of French football

Diallo, installed as interim boss after the resignation of long-standing former chief Noel Le Graet, swept to office winning over 90 per cent of the 200-strong vote at the FFF's general assembly in Paris.

The 59-year-old's mandate runs until the end of 2024.

"You grant me a very great honour with this huge vote," Diallo said after the election.

"It's also a big responsibility as we've endured some difficult times over the past few months," he added.

Diallo stepped up as acting president in January when Le Graet first moved aside and then was forced to resign following accusations of sexual and psychological harassment, bringing to an end more than a decade in charge.

The 81-year-old's time at the helm had coincided with the revival of the French men's national team as a force, with their victory at the 2018 World Cup followed by a run to last year's final in Qatar, which they lost on penalties to Argentina.

But Le Graet's resignation came days after the publication of a damning report into management practices at the Paris-based FFF which had been commissioned by the sports ministry.

At the same time the women's game in France was hit by crisis after Corinne Diacre was sacked as coach of the national team when her position was weakened following a revolt by leading players.

Herve Renard, fresh from guiding Saudi Arabia to a memorable group stage win over Lionel Messi's eventual champions Argentina at last year's World Cup, was appointed her successor with the Women's World Cup starting next month.

A.Motta--PC