François "Swat" Van der Elst (1 December 1954 – 11 January 2017) was a Belgian footballer. He played as a right winger. He played from 1971 to 1986. He played for Anderlecht, New York Cosmos, West Ham United and Lokeren. He was born in Opwijk, Flemish Brabant.
On 1 January 2017, Van der Elst was put in an induced coma because of heart failure. He died from cardiac arrest on 11 January 2017 in Aalst, East Flanders. He was 62.