December 17 – With a programme focused on the development of amateur and women’s football, Philippe Diallo has been re-elected as chairman of the French Football Federation (FFF), defeating Pierre Samsonoff in the vote.
The incumbent won 55% of the vote to see off Samsonoff. For the first time, presidents of amateur clubs had a vote, but even so, turnout was low.
Diallo said that his victory had a solid and legitimate base. He wooed the amateur clubs with the promise of raising the FFF budget from €100 million to €150 million and said that the FFF wants to grow the women’s game, aiming to reach 500,000 registered players.
“Among the projects, a major conference on French football to define together our roadmap on improving aid for amateur football and its allocation,” said Diallo.
“The project of a professional Ligue 3 under the aegis of the federation will also be announced. Professional football is going through a crisis. It is necessary to put in place elements for its recovery. The FFF must provide the impetus.”
Jean-Michel Aulas was the number two on Diallo’s ticket. The FFF president stressed that French football will benefit from the sponsorship deal with Nike that will bring in €100 million every year, but acknowledged that the game is in crisis, arguing that a different economic model is needed.
“We want to ensure that French football is stronger in four years, that our projects become reality. Everything starts in our amateur clubs and with the involvement of our volunteers, our leagues and our districts. It is towards them that we will do our utmost in a trajectory that must lead us towards the €150 million per year in aid for amateur football. We have undertaken an ambitious project that aims to make our football one of the very best in the world.”
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