FIFA have elected Gianni Infantino to the position of FIFA president in a close-fought election in Zurich late on Friday afternoon Central European Time.
Infantino – a Swiss-Italian who is currently the general secretary of UEFA – beat closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa in the second round of voting, tallying 115 votes to the Asian Football Confederation President’s 88.
The other candidates were eliminated in the first round, with Jordanian Prince Ali bin al-Hussein and former FIFA executive Jerome Champagne tallying 27 and seven votes respectively. Another leading contender, Tokyo Sexwale, withdrew before voting began.
The Guardian is reporting Infantino’s energy and promises to increase FIFA spending were key in his victory.
“Infantino’s energetic campaign, together with Blatter-style promises to more than double the development money dispensed to Fifa’s 207 federations to $5m over four years, won the day.”
Infantino has inherited an organisation plagued by perceived corruption and a lack of legitimacy. He will have his work cut out to rebuild FIFA’s battered image, particularly ahead of the upcoming 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar World Cups.
He becomes only the third president in FIFA’s history and will disappoint some who had hopes the election would reduce Western Europe’s stranglehold on the position. Infantino – who was born a mere six miles from disgraced former President Sepp Blatter – has been at UEFA for 15 years and is very much an insider.
The world players’ union has already come out critical of the appointment, saying that Infantino is “entrenched in a governance structure and culture that is open to corrupt practices”.
Infantino, however, pledged to bring an end to FIFA’s shady dealings in his victory speech, saying the “moments of crisis are over”.
“FIFA has gone through sad times, moments of crisis, but those times are over. We need to implement the reform and implement good governance and transparency. We also need to have respect. We’re going to win back this respect through hard work, commitment and we’re going to make sure we can finally focus on this wonderful game that is football.”
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