Jean-Pierre Escalettes (born 29 May 1935 in Béziers) is the former

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the French Football Federation having served in the role from 12 February 2005 to 2 July 2010. He was awarded the presidency after winning the ball with 92.56% of the vote. On 28 June 2010, Escalettes announced his resignation from his position effective 2 July.

Career

Escalettes is a former football player having played university football at the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (French: ''Université de Bordeaux'') is a Lists of universities in France, public university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Southern France, southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bor ...

and for AC Ribérac at amateur level. He later had a two-year stint at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

where he studied

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. Escalettes taught the language, as a professor, at a local university in

Ribérac Ribérac (; oc, Rabairac) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The commune is situated by the Dronne River. History In response to the 848 Norman plunder of nearby Brantôme, a fort was built n ...

. While teaching, he also served as the

secretary general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

, player, and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

of local club AC Ribérac. Escalettes rose through the ranks of the country's footballing hierarchy first serving as district president of

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...

. In 1981, he moved up to the regional level after being appointed the president and general secretary of the Ligue d'Aquitaine. In 1985, Escalettes joined the French Football Federation becoming a member of the organization's Federal Council. Five years later, he was appointed the Secretary General. In 1995, he was named as the president of the newly created Conseil National du Football Amateur (National Council of Amateur Football). In 2000, the council changed its name to Ligue Fédérale du Football Amateur (Federal League of Amateur Football). Escalettes served as president until 8 January 2005. A month later, he was named president of the French Football Federation replacing Claude Simonet. Under Escalettes reign as president, the senior national team reached the

2006 FIFA World Cup final The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 9 July 2006 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, to determine the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The match was contested between Italy and France. Italy won the Wo ...

losing to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The team also reached

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...

. On 22 February 2008, the French Football Federation announced that they were ending their

partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments ...

with Adidas and signing with the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

manufacturer

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

, effective 1 January 2011. The unprecedented deal is valued at

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

320 million over seven years (2011–2018) making France's blue shirt the most expensive ever in the history of football. Escalettes stated when discussing the deal: "It's the financial aspect that made the difference. I had neither the moral nor legal capacity to take any other decision." On 17 April 2007, Esclattes confirmed France's intention to bid for the hosting rights of

UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...

. Three years later, on 28 May 2010, France were granted hosting rights by

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

for the competition. During Escalettes presidency, he was a known supporter of former national team coach

Raymond Domenech Raymond Manuel Albert Domenech (; born 24 January 1952) is a French football manager and former player. He managed the France national team from 2004 to 2010, reaching the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. He was dismissed after their elimination from ...

and openly backed him to return to the team after the Euro 2008 debacle, however, not without declaring that radical changes would and should be made to the team. On 28 June 2010, following the debacle at the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

, in which the French players went on strike to protest the exclusion of

Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional football manager and retired player who played as a forward. As a player, he regularly featured in his country's national team, often scoring at crucial moments. Known f ...

from the team, Escalettes announced his resignation from his position effective 2 July. On 22 March 2011, he was awarded the UEFA Order of Merit by association president

Michel Platini Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, a ...

for his contributions to the sport.

References

External links

Jean-Pierre Escalettes profile
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Escalettes, Jean-Pierre 1935 births Living people Sportspeople from Béziers French football chairmen and investors Alumni of the University of Bristol French footballers Association football midfielders Presidents of the French Football Federation