Florian Grill has been elected as the new president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) ahead of the men’s World Cup taking place in the country later this year.

The 57-year-old replaces on a permanent basis Bernard Laporte, who stepped down in January after being found guilty of corruption by French authorities.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Grill takes over from acting president Alexandre Martinez after securing 58% of the votes to beat rival candidate Patrick Buisson. He will serve in the role until the end of 2024.

In late December, Laporte was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 ($81,300) fine over influence peddling and illegally acquiring assets, including a €1.8-million shirt sponsorship agreement with construction firm Altrad for the French national team.

In March 2017, Laporte awarded the contract to the firm's billionaire owner and close friend Mohed Altrad, who is also the owner of Top 14 champions Montpellier.

See Also:

He also resigned from a position as vice president of World Rugby, with this incident a major stumbling block during the preparations for the 2023 World Cup, which will run from September 8 to October 28 this year.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

After an eight-year spell as head coach in the 2000s, Laporte took over as president of the FFR in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020.

This year's World Cup is still without a chief executive for its organizing body after Claude Atcher was sacked from the position in October last year following a report that found he oversaw an “extremely degraded social environment” at the organizing committee.