Zurich (dpa) – Gianni Infantino (pic) was elected FIFA president on Friday in what football’s ruling body hopes will be a major step towards restoring credibility amid continuing US and Swiss corruption investigations.
Infantino’s election, which formally ends the 18-year reign of fellow Swiss Joseph Blatter, who is now banned from football for six years, came after FIFA members approved a major reform package.
UEFA general secretary Infantino got the necessary 50-per-cent majority in a second round of voting, garnering 115 of the 207 votes as he left the other favourite, Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, behind on 88 votes.
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan had four votes and Frenchman Jerome Champagne none. A fifth candidate, Tokyo Sexwale of South Africa, withdrew before the secret ballot in Zurich’s Hallenstadion which lasted four hours.
Infantino’s term is until 2019 as he completes the term Blatter started last year before being sanctioned.
Infantino led the first round with 88 votes. Sheikh Salman had 85 votes, Prince Ali 27, and Champagne seven.
A general view of the extraordinary FIFA congress at the Hallenstadion in Zurich Friday. The congress passed reform proposals and was due to elect a new FIFA president Friday.
Infantino had a remarkable rise as he only entered the race after UEFA president Michel Platini was suspended last autumn.
He campaigned with his experience from UEFA, plans to raise the number of World Cup teams to 40, and distribute more FIFA money to national associations despite difficult financial times.
Most importantly he wants to restore credibility at the ruling body battered by criminal investigations in the US and Switzerland which have led to multiple arrests and the indictment of officials including six former FIFA vice presidents.
Furthermore, Blatter and Platini have been banned – and UEFA must now find a new president and general secretary.
“We enter a new era,” Infantino told a news conference. “I will work tirelessly to bring FIFA back to football and football back to FIFA, and restore the image of FIFA that everyone is happy with what we do.”
The reform became reality earlier Friday, as 179 voting members or 89 per cent approved it, while 11 members (22 per cent) were opposed.
FIFA presidential candidate Gianni Infantino speaks at the extraordinary FIFA congress in Zurich Friday.
Acting FIFA president Issa Hayatou and reform commission chairman Francois Carrard had urged delegates to approve the reforms, and so had International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach in a speech before the delegates at the Hallenstadion venue in Zurich.
Major governance changes, term limits for top officials, greater transparency and bigger women’s representation are to restore credibility of FIFA and to be implemented within 60 days under the new president Infantino.
“It was an important congress, groundbreaking reforms were approved and president elected who can and will implement the reforms to make sure the image and reputation of FIFA comes back to where it belongs,” Infantino said.
Acting general secretary Markus Kattner said reforms were necessary to get FIFA out of a financial crisis with a negative financial result for 2015 and currently 550 million dollars short of targeted revenue of 5 billion dollars for the period 2015-2018.
“We must manage costs carefully and reduce costs. Reforms must be approved,” he said.
Infantino said: “We will sit together and I present Kattner my ideas. I have a certain experience I can bring to bear. If FIFA has 5 billion dollars revenue it can invest more than 25 per cent and all other costs must take second place. I will look where we can reduce costs which can be easily done.
“I am convinced a new era is starting. I will approach sponsors, broadcasters, they need to regain trust. If we can achieve that with our way of working then revenue streams will increase and we won’t have to worry about the future.”
Infantino thanked his mentor Platini, and pledged that his general secretary will not come from Europe and will be installed by the time of the ordinary FIFA congress in mid-May.
Blatter meanwhile was among the first to congratulate Infantino, praising him for his “experience, expertise, strategic and diplomatic skills.”
Infantino “has all the qualities to continue my work and to stabilize FIFA again,” he said in a statement.
The European Club Association (ECA) meanwhile was quick to say it will oppose his World Cup expansion plans as “FIFA must fulfil this responsibility for the health of the players,” according to ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
FIFA sponsor Adidas welcomed the reform package as “an important step in the right direction” but FIFA ethics committee judge Hans-Joachim Eckert said the main question now is “who will make sure that the reforms are implemented.”
