Gianni Infantino re-elected for second term as FIFA president

FIFA president, Gianni Infantino has been re-elected for a second term in office. He was re-elected by acclamation at the Congress of the world football’s governing body in Paris on Wednesday.

The 49-year-old stood unopposed for re-election for a new four-year term which will run until 2023. He took charge of FIFA in February 2016 after the departure of former president, Sepp Blatter.

“Nobody talks about crisis at FIFA any more or rebuilding it from scratch. Nobody talks about scandals or corruption, we talk about football. We can say that we’ve turned the situation around,” he told the congress in a lengthy speech at Paris Expo.

“This organisation has gone from being toxic, almost criminal, to being what it should be — an organisation that develops football and is now synonymous with transparency, integrity.”

“Today everything is open and transparent. It is not possible at FIFA to make hidden payments of do anything unethical with our money. There is no more place for corruption,” he claimed.

Before becoming FIFA President, Gianni Infantino joined UEFA in 2000 and became the General Secretary since October 2009.

At the helm of affairs in UEFA, he led a team of over 400 staff which has helped further strengthen both national team and club football in Europe. He also helped intensify UEFA’s work to provide a democratic and sustainable environment for European footbal.