Gianni Infantino was re-elected by acclamation for a second term as FIFA president at the Congress of world football's governing body in Paris on Wednesday.
The 49 year-old, who took charge of FIFA in February 2016 after the departure of the disgraced Sepp Blatter, stood unopposed for a new four-year term which will run until 2023.
READ | 'I want to sue him' - Sepp Blatter to sue Infantino, FIFA
Earlier, Infantino had insisted that FIFA had been transformed into an organisation “synonymous with credibility” as he addressed representatives of the 211 member federations, before the Women's World Cup begins in the French capital on Friday.
Infantino said: “It is only thanks to you that we have been able to transform FIFA, to transform it into a new FIFA, an organisation that is synonymous with credibility, confidence, integrity, equality, human rights, social engagement, modernity, professionalism and equality.”
“Today nobody talks about crises, nobody talks about rebuilding FIFA from scratch, nobody talks about scandals, nobody talks about corruption, we talk about football,” insisted the Swiss-Italian lawyer, formerly secretary general of UEFA.
READ | Former UEFA president Johansson dies aged 89
“The very least we can say is that we have turned the situation around.
“In three years and four months, this organisation went from being toxic, almost criminal, to being what it should be, an organisation that develops football, an organisation that cares about football.”
FIFA have had to abandon highly controversial plans to expand the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 teams in time for the next tournament in Qatar in 2022.
However, Infantino is pressing ahead with plans for a new Club World Cup, comprising 24 teams, from 2021. The existing format involves just seven clubs.
Comments
SHARE