Belgium’s top football body, the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA), has appointed Pascale Van Damme as the new president, making her the first woman to ever hold the position.
Van Damme replaces Paul Van den Bulck, who resigned following reports of strenuous relationships between him and other members of the FA’s board of directors.
“With this rapid restart, the board of directors wishes to guarantee continuity and restore calm,” the RBFA said of her appointment. Van Damme expressed her hope in offering “a bright future for the Red Devils, the Red Flames and the hundreds of thousands of other footballers, supporters and members we represent.”
She becomes the Belgian FA's first-ever female president, having been elevated from her former position as an independent board member for the past two years. Van Damme joined the RBFA two years ago from Dell Technologies whom she had been working for since 2010.
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Among the challenges she faces in her new job will be preparing the country to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027, while also being tasked with appointing a new CEO for the Belgian FA.
Her predecessor, Van den Bulck, had led the ousting of previous President Peter Bossaert after he was was asked to step down for giving himself an unauthorised salary increase.
At the time, the RBFA's board of directors ultimately agreed with Van den Bulck and terminated Bossaert's contract "with immediate effect" after a legal opinion determined that he had "violated the FA's code of ethics."
