The historic former boss of Olympique Lyonnais Jean-Michel Aulas, already a member of the executive committee of the French Football Federation, was elected vice-president of the FFF on Saturday during its general assembly. The one who has been a member of the executive committee of the FFF since 2017 and also president of the high level women’s commission at the Federation was elected by “nearly 80% of the votes”, or 78.58% of the votes. “I proposed to submit the name of Jean-Michel Aulas to your vote, you know his experience, his competence and his contribution that he has made to French football,” declared the president of the FFF Philippe Diallo before the vote. during its federal assembly meeting on Saturday in Paris.
Philippe Diallo, former boss of the professional clubs union, held this position of vice-president of “3F” since December 2021 before becoming interim president following the resignation of Noël Le Graët – present on Saturday during the AGM – at the end of February, then to be elected in June until 2024.
“Commitments focused on women’s football”
“It is for me a strong commitment after 37 years of good and loyal service in the professional world. I have constantly worked with the amateur world. When I started in 1987, Olympique Lyonnais was very close to the concerns that you have every day. I know how difficult it is to be president in amateur football”, explained Jean-Michel Aulas from the podium, adding with a smile that he had “more availability for some time”.
Jean-Michel Aulas managed Olympique Lyonnais for 36 years from 1987, before selling the club to the American group Eagle Football in December 2022. He was then hastily ousted from the presidency of OL last June by the American businessman John Textor, new owner.
The 74-year-old former manager also indicated that he had “commitments also focused on women’s football”: “We want to increase the number of licensees, our ambition over five years is to have 500,000 licensees”.
“We have the ambition to be the first” in global women’s professional football: “we know that professional football is demanding, when European countries plan quickly, it is difficult to catch up in the economy and the valorization of rights, and we have the ambition to be the first,” he also declared.