FORMER Athlone Town boss Ricardo Monsanto has swapped football for politics in his native Portugal.

Monsanto took over from Colin Fortune at the start of the season and stepped down as manager in April after just 42 days in charge.

3 Monsanto spent 42 days in charge of Athlone Town Credit: Sportsfile

3 Chris Rodrigues is mobbed by teammates after a goal against Cobh Ramblers Credit: Sportsfile

He is now a candidate for the presidency of a local council in Lisbon, with elections taking place on October 11.

Meanwhile, former Athlone striker Chris Rodrigues has signed for Ajaccio in Ligue 2 - the French second tier.

3 Kirils Grigorovs has swapped the League of Ireland First Division for the Czech third division Credit: Sportsfile

The ex-France youth international started five games for Athlone this season, scoring three times.

The 21-year-old could be coming up against the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar next season, with Ajaccio flying high in second place in Ligue 2.

Latvian defender Kirils Grigorovs made 16 league appearances for Athlone this season and recently signed for Mohelnice, a club in the Czech third division.