Gianni Infantino has been re-elected unopposed as FIFA President for another four-year term in office. This new term would run from 2023 to 2027.
The election took place at the FIFA Congress held in Kigali, Rwanda on Thursday, and Infantino won by acclamation since no formal vote was required as there were no opposing candidates.
During his campaign, Infantino highlighted the financial successes achieved under his leadership and suggested a need to keep the successful FIFA leadership in place.
The 211 member federations saw their basic annual funding from FIFA rise from $250,000 to $2 million since Infantino took over the rein of leadership in 2016.
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AP reports FIFA had $4 billion in reserves after the World Cup in Qatar finished in December.
The world football governing body has also reportedly conservatively forecasted record revenue of at least $11 billion through the 2026 World Cup in North America.
“If a CEO tells the stakeholders that the products were multiplied by seven I believe that they would keep that CEO forever,” Infantino told FIFA members. “They would love for this story to keep on going.
“But I am here for a four-year cycle only,” added Infantino, whose presidency can eventually run to 15 years through 2031.
Infantino’s re-election has been met with approval by many in the footballing world.
However, some critics have pointed out that there is still work to be done to improve transparency and accountability within FIFA.
Nevertheless, Infantino’s re-election provides him with a mandate to continue to pursue his ambitious agenda for FIFA, which includes the 2026 World Cup in North America and further expansion of the organisation’s funding to member federations.
With FIFA’s strong financial position, Infantino has the resources to push ahead with his agenda and further cement his legacy as a reformer of the world’s most popular sport’s governing body.
