PARIS (AFP) - Guy Roux on Wednesday won his fight with the French football authorities who had told him that at the age of 68 he was too old to coach Lens.

The green light to allow the veteran former manager of Auxerre to take up his new post was given by France's National Olympic and Sporting Council (CNOSF).

Roux had received support from French president Nicolas Sarkozy who stepped in to the ageism row after the 3-2 vote taken by the French League's legal department against ratifying Roux's three-year contract with Lens.

"The President of the Republic deplores this. He considers it's more the rule rather than Guy Roux which is out of date," Sarkozy's spokesman, David Martinon said.

Wednesday's decision by the CNOSF brings to an end a fortnight's stand off between Roux and Lens in one corner and the French league in the other.

When he was first told of the vote to stop him taking up his new post Roux had reacted in typically forthright style, telling reporters: "This decision is particularly disagreable at a time when we're trying to combat discrimination against age, religion or sex.

"I'll be taking my place in the dug-out whether my contract is accepted or not."