By David Gold
April 11 – Gérard Enault, the former head of the French Football Federation (FFF) and the head of the bidding committee for France’s successful hosting of the 1998 World Cup, has died.
He passed away after a long illness on Monday (April 9) at the age of 68.
Enault took over from Jean Fournet-Fayard as the President of the FFF in 1993 and continued in post until 2005, when he was succeeded by Claude Simonet.
Prior to joining the FFF he had been a director in the French Ministry of Youth Sport.
His arrival at the FFF came at a time of crisis for the organisation, just months after the disaster at the Stade Armand-Césari in Furiani, Corsica, where a Coupe de France semi-final between Bastia and Olympique de Marseille was abandoned after parts of the terraces collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 18 fans and injuries to over 2,000.
France had also just failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Subsequently, he presided over the most successful period in France’s international football history, when they won the World Cup in 1998 and the subsequent European Championships in 2000.
He also played a significant role as the head of the Bidding Committee that brought the World Cup to France 14 years ago.
They beat Switzerland and Morocco in the final vote in Zurich to stage the tournament for the first time since 1938.
More recently Enault had been the managing director of Ivory Coast’s Africa Sports club in Abidjan.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734801357labto1734801357ofdlr1734801357owedi1734801357sni@d1734801357log.d1734801357ivad1734801357