Fifa appoints first female secretary general to succeed Jerome Valcke

She succeeds former secretary general Jerome Valcke, who was banned from football-related activity for 12 years.

Samoura, 54, spent 21 years working for the United Nations and will start at football's governing body in June.

"It is essential Fifa incorporates fresh perspectives as we continue to restore and rebuild our organisation," said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.

"She has a proven ability to build and lead teams, and improve the way organisations perform. Importantly for Fifa, she also understands that transparency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and responsible organisation."

Samoura's appointment, announced at Fifa's congress in Mexico City, completes a new-look to an organisation which has been dogged by corruption allegations under Valcke and previous president Sepp Blatter.

Blatter, who had led Fifa since 1998, stood down last year and was later suspended from football for six years for breaching ethics guidelines.

On his appointment in February, Infantino said he would "work tirelessly to bring football back to Fifa and Fifa back to football".

Samoura, who will undergo an eligibility check before her role is ratified, currently works for the UN in Nigeria, and speaks four languages.

Source: BBC Sports

Michelle Obama recruits Missy Elliot, Kelly Clarkson and Zendaya for single

This Is For My Girls was written by Diane Warren - whose previous credits include I Don't Want To Miss A Thing and Un-Break My Heart.

She described the song - a strident, girl power anthem - as "We Are the World meets Lady Marmalade".

Obama released the single ahead of her keynote speech at the SXSW festival.

She will talk about her Let Girls Learn initiative, which is aimed at boosting education rates amongst adolescent girls around the world.

Several of the performers on the track, including Missy Elliott and Diane Warren, will then join her on a panel about the initiative, as well as Sophia Bush and Queen Latifah, who will moderate the discussion.

This Is For My Girls combines jazzy horn stabs with a propulsive drum beat, giving the song a militaristic feel.

The lyrics mostly comprise generic statements of empowerment - "Don't take nothing from nobody"; "It's all about respect"; "Stand strong forever" - which have been a standard component of female-fronted R&B since the turn of the millennium.

Other vocalists featured on the track include Janelle Monae, Glee actress Lea Michele, Disney star Zendaya, 16-year-old Motown artist Jadagrace, and Beyonce proteges Chloe & Halle.

All of the artists waived their fees, meaning proceeds will go directly to the Let Girls Learn campaign.

"We haven't had an anthem like this in a while," Warren told Billboard.

"I envisioned the record being with all these different women, never just one girl singing on it.

"With Kelly Rowland on it, it's almost like an updated Destiny's Child record. I think it can be a huge worldwide anthem. I hope it becomes that."

The single is available exclusively on iTunes, while Obama's speech at the SXSW festival will be streamed live on makers.com from 16:00 GMT.

Source: BBC