Laporte received a two-year suspended prison sentence on corruption charges on Tuesday (December 13), just nine months before France hosts the sport's showpiece event the World Cup.

He was also banned from holding any rugby post for two years, but this is suspended pending an appeal.

Laporte "self-suspended" from his role as vice-chair of the sport's global governing body, World Rugby, pending a review by the body's ethics officer.

However, he steadfastly refused to stand down as president of the FFR - a role he was first elected to in 2016 and was re-elected to in a tight contest in 2020.

L'Équipe and Agence France-Presse report that the FFR Ethics Committee reached its decision the day after the conviction and sent a letter explaining the reasoning to both Laporte and France's Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.

Immediately after the court ruling she had said the sentence was an "obstacle for Bernard Laporte to be able, as it stands, to continue his mission in good conditions" as FFR President.

The Ethics Committee's decision follows the call on Thursday (December 15) by the French National Rugby League for the FFR to hold new elections.

Laporte, 58, was convicted of showing favouritism in awarding a shirt sponsorship contract for the national side to Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of Top 14 champions Montpellier.

The case goes back to February 2017, when a deal was signed under which Laporte agreed to appear at Altrad Group conferences, and benefited from a €180,000 (£154,000/$192,000) image-licensing contract.

But while that sum was paid to Laporte, prosecutors claim that he never actually provided the services he signed up for.

Laporte did, however, make several public statements backing Altrad and, in March 2017, signed the €1.8 million (£1.57million/$1.06million) deal with the businessman making his namesake firm the first-ever sponsor to appear on the French national team's jerseys.

Even now, Altrad's logo features on the shirts thanks to a follow-up deal negotiated by Laporte in 2018 and which prosecutors say bears all the hallmarks of corruption.

Laporte, formerly a successful coach who guided France to the World Cup semi-finals in 2003 and 2007, was also found guilty of favouritism with regards to Altrad's club side Montpellier.

He was convicted for intervening through several phone calls to reduce an FFR fine against Montpellier from €70,000 (£61,000/£$74,200) to €20,000 (£17,500/$21,200).