Former Senegal striker Demba Ba was named on Friday as the new sporting director of French Ligue 1 club Le Havre.

The 41-year-old, whose playing career included stints in the Premier League with West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea, arrives from Ligue 2 side Dunkerque where he served for the past three years as deputy president.

Under his watch, Dunkerque finished fourth in 2025, reaching the Ligue 2 playoffs, while also making it to the semi-finals of the French Cup, where they lost to Paris Saint-Germain.

He succeeds Mathieu Bodmer, who walked out of the club on the evening of the final matchday of the just-completed season with Le Havre finishing 14th.

Bodmer has moved to third division side Caen which is owned by France captain Kylian Mbappe.

AFP