Gianni Infantino to continue as FIFA president for 4 more years

Gianni Infantino has been elected as the president of FIFA for another four years. The Italian ran unopposed, which made the elections a mere formality. He has been in charge since 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and will now take his tenure to a decade, ending after the 2026 World Cup. 

This will be his final run as the president of the governing body of the sport, and he will be replaced in three years. He has promised record revenues over the next few years, speaking at the 73rd Congress. 

Gianni Infantino to continue as FIFA president after unopposed electrons  

“It is an incredible honour and privilege, and a great responsibility,” Gianni Infantino said upon being re-elected.”I promise to continue serving FIFA and football around the world.

“To those that love me, and I know there are many, and those who hate me … I love you all.”

“Revenues rose to a record $7.5 billion (to 2022) in a period that was hit by COVID-19. When I arrived, FIFA reserves stood at around $1 billion, today they are at almost $4 billion,” Infantino said.

“We promise new record revenues for the next cycle of $11 billion, and the new Club World Cup is not included in that figure, so it could increase by a couple of billion (more).”

Several new proposals have come to the forefront under the reign of Infantino. One of them has been the change in format of the World Cup to 48 teams. The other is the revamp to the Club World Cup, extending it to 32 teams. 

However, that has attracted a lot of criticism for adding to an already packed calendar for the players.