Gianni Infantino was re-elected because the president of FIFA till 2027 on the 73rd Congress of the physique within the Rwandan capital Kigali on Thursday.He was unopposed through the vote. The 52-year-old Italian-Swiss, renewed underneath the identical circumstances in 2019 by the delegates of the 211 member federations, may stay on the head of world soccer till 2031 together with his first three-year lease being thought-about incomplete.Infantino’s re-election has been the topic of frequent dissent by FIFA’s member associations, over his assist for the Qatar World Cup. The voting system used this time didn’t make it potential to rely dissenting votes.In his defence, the 52-year-old can present FIFA’s strong monetary stability sheet, with an 18% enhance in revenue and 45% in reserves over the 2019-22 cycle in comparison with the earlier one, permitting the physique to additional enhance its subsidies to confederations and federations.On the governance aspect, his final mandate was marked by an unlimited reform of transfers and maternity go away for skilled gamers, alongside extra protecting guidelines of disciplinary process for victims of sexual violence.The principle tasks for the subsequent few years have already been authorized: beginning with the passage of the Males’s World Cup from 32 to 48 groups within the 2026 version of the identical, which will likely be shared between the US, Canada and Mexico. Determined in 2017, its format was set on Tuesday.By choosing a bunch stage with twelve teams of 4 groups, the event will leap from 64 to 104 matches, a behemoth lower to blow up ticketing income and entice much more broadcasters.Extra delicately, FIFA selected December 16 to develop its Membership World Cup from an annual seven-team format to a quadrennial competitors with 32 groups from the summer season of 2025 – a mission that Infantino is attempting to carry to fruition for years to compete with the profitable UEFA Champions League.
Gianni Infantino re-elected as FIFA president until 2027
