Gianni Infantino elected new Fifa president

Blackleaf

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Gianni Infantino wants to reunite football after becoming president of world football's governing body Fifa.

The Uefa secretary general succeeds fellow Swiss Sepp Blatter, polling 115 votes, 27 more than closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, at Friday's election.

Blatter quit in May amid allegations that led to a six-year ban from football, which he is contesting.

"I said today we have to build bridges, not build walls," said the 45-year-old Swiss-Italian.

"Football can certainly do that. I want to focus on football," he added.

The resignation of Blatter, who denies any wrongdoing, prompted the extraordinary congress at Fifa, which has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since summer 2015.

Founded in 1904, Fifa has 209 members, more than the UN.

Fifa presidential election: Gianni Infantino to 'reunite' football


BBC Sport
26 February 2016


Gianni Infantino was voted in as the new president of Fifa yesterday at its headquarters in Zurich

Gianni Infantino wants to reunite football after becoming president of world football's governing body Fifa.

The Uefa secretary general succeeds fellow Swiss Sepp Blatter, polling 115 votes, 27 more than closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, at Friday's election.

Blatter quit in May amid allegations that led to a six-year ban from football, which he is contesting.

"I said today we have to build bridges, not build walls," said the 45-year-old Swiss-Italian.

"Football can certainly do that. I want to focus on football," he added.

The resignation of Blatter, who denies any wrongdoing, prompted the extraordinary congress at Fifa, which has been engulfed by claims of widespread corruption since summer 2015.

Infantino is a lawyer from Brig in the Valais region of Switzerland, less than six miles from Blatter's hometown of Visp.


Sepp Blatter quit as Fifa president in May amid corruption allegations that led to a six-year ban from football

"Today it was an election, but not a war," he said. "It was a competition, but not a fight. It was a sporting contest. An election you win, you lose and then life goes on.

"Now we turn the page, we start to work, we work good together and I show the whole world I'm not a candidate of Europe or wherever.

I'm a candidate of football and football is universal.

"This is what we'll start to do now in Fifa to work with everyone for the development of football and not to do politics, to speak about divisions, to speak about barriers."

The first round of voting failed to determine an outright winner, though Infantino led with 88, three more than pre-vote favourite Sheikh Salman.

A simple majority of more than 50% - 104 of 207 available votes - was sufficient for victory in round two.

To help the new president tackle the crisis at Fifa, key reforms were passed to help make it a more transparent and accountable organisation.


Fifa presidential election: Gianni Infantino to 'reunite' football - BBC Sport
 

Blackleaf

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New Don, same old mafia.

That's probably true, but we just need to see how the new Don governs the mafia and if he really does make it more transparent and accountable.

Infantino's election also means that England (who helped Infantino win the election) may almost certainly bid to host the 2030 World Cup. England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup was by far the best and, by rights, should have won it, but instead oil-rich Russia was awarded the tournament, just as oil-rich Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup instead of best-bidder Australia.
 

Curious Cdn

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Feb 22, 2015
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That's probably true, but we just need to see how the new Don governs the mafia and if he really does make it more transparent and accountable.

Infantino's election also means that England (who helped Infantino win the election) may almost certainly bid to host the 2030 World Cup. England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup was by far the best and, by rights, should have won it, but instead oil-rich Russia was awarded the tournament, just as oil-rich Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup instead of best-bidder Australia.

I'm sure that the road to the 2030 World Cup is paved with £££ just as it always has been.
 

Blackleaf

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I'm sure that the road to the 2030 World Cup is paved with £££ just as it always has been.

World Cup bidding hasn't always been corrupt. The first World Cup was in Uruguay in 1930. It's only recently that corruption has played a part in World Cup bidding. Hopefully, Infantino will clean Fifa up and the bidding for the 2030 World Cup will be clean and above board.

The associations currently planning on bidding to host the 2030 World Cup are a collective bid from the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN - Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Brunei); a joint bid from New Zealand and Australia; Chile; Colombia (if they don't win their 2026 bid); England; and a joint bid from Uruguay and Argentina. The Uruguay–Argentina bid would coincide with the centennial anniversary of the first World Cup in Uruguay and the bicentennial of the first Constitution of Uruguay.

England FA vice president David Gill has said England will only bid for 2030 World Cup if the bidding process is made more transparent.

Canada is definitely bidding to host the 2026 World Cup. So, too, are Mexico and Colombia. USA may also bid for it.
 

Curious Cdn

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Feb 22, 2015
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World Cup bidding hasn't always been corrupt. The first World Cup was in Uruguay in 1930. It's only recently that corruption has played a part in World Cup bidding. Hopefully, Infantino will clean Fifa up and the bidding for the 2030 World Cup will be clean and above board.

The associations currently planning on bidding to host the 2030 World Cup are a collective bid from the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN - Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Brunei); a joint bid from New Zealand and Australia; Chile; Colombia (if they don't win their 2026 bid); England; and a joint bid from Uruguay and Argentina. The Uruguay–Argentina bid would coincide with the centennial anniversary of the first World Cup in Uruguay and the bicentennial of the first Constitution of Uruguay.

England FA vice president David Gill has said England will only bid for 2030 World Cup if the bidding process is made more transparent.

Canada is definitely bidding to host the 2026 World Cup. So, too, are Mexico and Colombia. USA may also bid for it.
We've also hosted the Olympics three times in the last forty years which means that we are probably not immune to bribery and graft.