Gianni Infantino remains FIFA President

The 52-year-old Swiss was elected for the third time at the World Football Association Congress in Kigali on Thursday, he is starting his second full term. The vote in the BK Arena in the capital of Rwanda was by acclamation – the delegates showed their agreement with applause. Infantino was the only candidate.

“Everyone who loves me, and there are many, and everyone who hates me, I know there are a few – I love you all,” Infantino said after his election. FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura was quick to reply: “We love you, President.” Infantino announced that he would continue to work hard “to unite the world of football”.

Eleven billion dollars by 2026

Infantino enjoys the backing of the vast majority of FIFA’s 211 national associations. Under his leadership, the world association has achieved great economic success since taking over the tenure of Joseph Blatter at the beginning of 2016. Revenues of at least eleven billion US dollars (10.43 billion euros) are expected by 2026, with most of the money being passed on to the associations.

“FIFA’s money is your money,” Infantino repeated at the congress. Shortly before the election, he referred to his own merits: “If an entrepreneur were to announce that dividends would be increased sevenfold, they would keep him forever, then it wouldn’t just be about a four-year mandate.”

Born like his predecessor Blatter (87) in the Swiss Valais, Infantino was General Secretary of the European Football Union UEFA before moving to FIFA. After replacing Blatter, he was elected to his first full term in the summer of 2019. Since the first almost three and a half years are not counted, Infantino can be re-elected for four years in 2027.

Johann Gartner, the interim president of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB), had announced in advance that he would vote for Infantino. In parts of Europe, however, the Swiss is highly controversial. The associations of Germany, Norway and Sweden had announced that they would not vote for Infantino. A number of affairs and inconsistencies shaped the image of the FIFA President. In Switzerland, two special public prosecutors are investigating an opaque judicial affair against Infantino, who rejects all allegations.