PARIS, Dec 13: Jean-Pierre Escalettes was re-elected as president of the French Football Federation (FFF) by an overwhelming majority on Saturday, while former France defender Lilian Thuram won a seat on the FFF’s council.

The FFF’s federal council voted 95.10 per cent in favour of keeping Escalettes in charge, the FFF said on its website.

Thuram, who played 142 internationals as a defender and helped France win the 1998 World and European Championship two years later, takes over from UEFA president Michel Platini as the representative for elite sportsmen.

“I am proud that Lilian Thuram is taking over from me on the federal council,” Platini told the council Saturday. “French football needs its base and its big players.”—AP