France elects first woman football chief

French football’s ruling body the Professional Football League (LFP) on Friday elected their first woman president with Nathalie Boy De La Tour winning a four-year term.

Boy De La Tour who previously held a position with the “Football Foundation” which promotes the game in the community takes over from Frédéric Thiriez who resigned last month after 14 years.

Former France coach Raymond Domenech, who had been among the candidates, withdrew from the running after he was rejected in the first round by the general assembly.

The LFP which oversees the 40 professional clubs in France’s top two leagues — Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 — has been in crisis since Thiriez’s departure.

Divisions between the top clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon and Marseille, and smaller sides flared up in October and the vote for a president could not be taken.

Domenech, 64, coached France from 2004 to 2010, but remains a divisive figure despite a runner-up spot in the 2006 World Cup.

His term as France coach was overshadowed by the fiasco at the 2010 World Cup and players’ strike in South Africa.