French FA beats salary cap deadline to hire Zinedine Zidane as head coach

Zinedine Zidane’s appointment as France head coach was finalised just before a new sports governance law came into force, allowing the French Football Federation (FFF) to keep the former captain’s salary confidential and avoid strict pay caps.

The FFF signed Zidane’s contract to take charge of the men’s national team ahead of the implementation of France’s Professional Sports Governance Law, which transforms the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) into a “company of clubs” and introduces tighter controls on remuneration within sports federations.

Under the legislation, which was formally approved by the National Assembly and the Senate on 20 and 21 July, a ceiling of €450,000 gross per year has been set for salaries of senior officials and staff in sports governing bodies. The cap mirrors the maximum pay permitted for “the chairman of the board of a public industrial and commercial institution”.

A joint committee of the Senate and the National Assembly had agreed that ceiling on 8 July, clearing the way for the law’s adoption later in the month.

Because Zidane’s agreement with the FFF was concluded before the law received its final parliamentary approval, it is not bound by the new salary limit, even if his wages are significantly higher than the cap.

No need for ministerial exemption

The law allows for exceptions in special cases, via a waiver granted by the Ministry of Sports. In theory, that mechanism could have been used to approve a salary above the €450,000 threshold for a high-profile national team coach.

However, the FFF will not need to seek such an exemption for Zidane, as his contract predates the law’s final ratification. This timing enables the federation both to exceed the new limit and to keep the precise value of Zidane’s deal undisclosed.

This effectively preserves the secrecy around the pay package for the former Juventus and Real Madrid midfielder, who is regarded as one of France’s greatest ever players and captained Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 1998.

French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari underlined that the FFF is financially self-sufficient and not reliant on state funding. “الاتحاد يمتلك موارد مالية خاصة كبيرة، ولا يعتمد على وزارة الرياضة,” she said – “The federation has substantial private financial resources and does not depend on the Ministry of Sports.”

Ferrari has repeatedly indicated she does not wish to interfere in the matter of the national coach’s remuneration, and the FFF chose not to request the ministry’s opinion while finalising Zidane’s contract.

Official announcement scheduled

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, the FFF is expected to officially announce Zidane’s appointment on Tuesday 28 July at a press conference at the federation’s headquarters.

Before that media briefing, the FFF’s executive committee is scheduled to meet on the same morning to ratify the choice made by president Philippe Diallo, thereby completing the final internal step in Zidane’s elevation to the role.

Zidane, who enjoyed stellar playing spells with Juventus and Real Madrid before a highly successful coaching career at the Spanish club, will be returning to the national set‐up as head coach, having previously served France as a player in three World Cups and two European Championships.

The combination of political timing and legal detail means his arrival on the France bench has been secured on terms negotiated outside the constraints of the new governance framework – a move that underlines both his market value and the FFF’s determination to bring him back into the national fold on its own financial terms.