Pascale Van Damme appointed as Belgian soccer federation’s first female president

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Belgian soccer federation has elected a female president for the first time. The RBFA board appointed Pascale Van Damme as the replacement for the departing Paul Van den Bulck, who resigned after less than one year in charge. Van Damme joined the federation board in 2021 and was appointed after a unanimous vote. The federation said “she wants to help develop women’s football and bring the Women’s World Cup to Belgium in 2027.” Belgium is involved in a join -bid to host the tournament with the Netherlands and Germany. Van den Bulck stepped down this month amid criticism over his working methods.