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Gianni Infantino was re-elected president of FIFA by recognition on Thursday until 2027, after suggesting that the financial results under his leadership will keep the CEO of the industry for life.
Infantino was unopposed and won by acclamation rather than an official vote by the federation’s 211-member congress whose basic annual funding from FIFA has risen from $250,000 to $2 million since his first win in 2016.
FIFA has $4 billion in reserves after the World Cup in Qatar ends in December. It has conservatively predicted record revenue of at least $11 billion through the 2026 men’s World Cup held in North America.
“If the CEO tells the stakeholders that the product is sevenfold, I believe he will remain the CEO forever,” Infantino told FIFA members. “They’re going to love this story going forward.
“But I’m only here for a four-year cycle,” said Infantino, whose presidency could last for 15 years until 2031.
The Swiss lawyer was first elected in 2016 when FIFA was in crisis after a United States federal investigation into corruption removed American soccer officials. The fallout also removed veteran FIFA president Sepp Blatter from office within months of his re-election.
Under Infantino, FIFA has created new and bigger competitions – increasing revenue and giving national teams more chances to qualify for the men’s and women’s World Cups, in the face of resistance from European football officials.
FIFA’s support for the 2022 World Cup host Qatar, where Infantino is moving to live in 2021, and its close ties to Saudi Arabian football have also caused unease among rights activists and some European member federations. That spilled over into the World Cup over a dispute over FIFA and the Qatari organizers barring some team captains from wearing anti-discrimination armbands.
“To all who love me, and I know there are many, and to those who hate me, and I know there are some, I love you all, especially today,” Infantino said after being elected.
In his opening speech at the previous congress, Infantino said he took inspiration from Rwanda’s recovery from a genocidal civil war in the 1990s while his own campaign to become FIFA president in 2016 struggled.
Infantino said he was told during his campaign visit to Rwanda that he would not be supported. “Of course, I was quite depressed, about to give up,” he said, recalling a visit he made to the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
“What this country has suffered and how this country came back up is an inspiration to the whole world. So I certainly cannot give up because someone told me,” he told the federation members.
The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, then delivered a speech traditionally offered to the head of state hosting the congress.
Kagame defended Qatar, calling its critics “hypocrites” and calling for “bad politics” to stay out of the sport.
The president of Norway’s football federation, Lise Klaveness, will address congress later to push FIFA to compensate migrant workers who helped build Qatar’s World Cup project.
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