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Gianni Infantino

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Gianni Infantino
Infantino in 2024
9th President of FIFA
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 February 2016
Vice PresidentÁngel María Villar
David Chung
Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa
Preceded byIssa Hayatou (acting)
Sepp Blatter
Personal details
Born
Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino

(1970-03-23) 23 March 1970 (age 54)[1]
Brig, Valais, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss, Italian
SpouseLeena Al Ashqar
Children4
Alma materUniversity of Fribourg
Awards Order of Friendship
Star of Service
Signature

Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni vinˈtʃɛntso ˈdʒanni iɱfanˈtiːno]; born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss-Italian football administrator[2] and the president of FIFA since February 2016. He was re-elected in June 2019 and in March 2023.[3] In January 2020, he was also elected a member of the International Olympic Committee.[4]

As President of FIFA, he oversaw the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, which he described as "the best World Cup ever" and for which he accepted Order of Friendship medal given to him by Vladimir Putin. He oversaw the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar during which time he defended or minimized controversies surrounding Qatar's human rights record, again describing it as "the best World Cup ever."[5] He played a key role in the selection of Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, as he advocated for a Saudi bid and restricted the hosting eligibility, which reduced the number of potential competing bids.[6]

Under his leadership, FIFA began engraving Infantino's name on the FIFA Club World Cup trophy.[7]

Early life and education

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Infantino was born on 23 March 1970[2] in Brig, Switzerland.[8] He is a son of Italian immigrant parents from Calabria and Lombardy in Switzerland and has the citizenship of both countries.[9][2] He studied law at the University of Fribourg.[10] He speaks French, German and Italian as his first languages, and also speaks Arabic, English, Portuguese and Spanish.[8]

Career

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Infantino worked as the Secretary General of the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES) at the University of Neuchâtel.[2][when?]

UEFA

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Infantino started working with UEFA in August 2000 and was appointed as the Director of UEFA's Legal Affairs and Club Licensing Division in January 2004. He became Deputy General Secretary of UEFA in 2007 and Secretary General of UEFA in October 2009.[2][11] During his time there, UEFA introduced Financial Fair Play and improved commercial support to smaller national associations.[11]

He oversaw the expansion of UEFA Euro 2016 to 24 teams[12] and played a role in the conception of the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Euro 2020, which was intended to take place in 13 European nations before the number was reduced to 11.[13]

In 2015, the Greek government decided to introduce a new sports law in response to the recent scandal and acts of violence and corruption mainly in Greek football. Gianni Infantino, as UEFA's general secretary, led the negotiations with the Greek government and supported the Hellenic Football Federation's warning to Greece that it faced suspension from international football for government interference.[14][15]

FIFA

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See also: 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress
Infantino with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 68th FIFA Congress, 13 June 2018
Infantino with Juan Carlos Varela, Mohammad bin Salman and Nicolas Sarkozy at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, 14 June 2018
Infantino with US President Donald Trump in 2019

Infantino was a member of FIFA's Reform Committee.[16] On 26 October 2015, he received the backing of the UEFA Executive Committee to stand for the position of president in the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress. On the same day, he confirmed his candidacy and submitted the required declarations of support.[17] He promised to expand the FIFA World Cup to forty teams.[18]

On 26 February 2016, he was elected FIFA President for a period of three years.[19] Infantino, who holds dual Swiss and Italian citizenship through his parents, became the first Italian to hold the Presidency of FIFA.

In 2017, Infantino criticized the United States travel ban on several Muslim-majority nations. He said "When it comes to FIFA competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup. That is obvious."[20]

2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

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In 2019 Infantino accepted the Order of Friendship medal given to him by Vladimir Putin, following the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[21][22] He described the 2018 World Cup as the "best World Cup ever."[21]

Panama Papers

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Infantino was implicated in the FIFA corruption scandal in documents released in the 2016 Panama Papers. They show that UEFA undertook deals with indicted figures where previously they had denied any relationship.[23] Infantino has stated he is "dismayed" at the reports and that he has never personally dealt with the parties involved.[24]

Women's rights

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In Iran, after the 1979 Islamic revolution, women had been banned from stadiums when men's teams are playing.[25] Infantino repeatedly warned Iranian football federation and Islamic Republic of Iran authorities about Iranian women's rights.[26] On 8 September 2019, Sahar Khodayari self-immolated after being arrested for trying to enter a stadium.[27]

Our position is clear and firm. Women have to be allowed into football stadiums in Iran. Now is the moment to change things.[28] Infantino, September 2019

Following that incident, FIFA assured Iranian women that they would be able to attend stadiums starting from October 2019.[27] On 10 October 2019, more than 3,500 women attended the Azadi Stadium for a World Cup qualifier against Cambodia.[29]

2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

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With the holding of the World Cup in Qatar, the issue of migrant workers' rights attracted attention. Qatar has been accused of unpaid wages, imposing excessive working hours, illegal recruitment, and the deaths of workers who helped build Qatar stadiums.[30] When questioned about abuses suffered by migrant workers involved in preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Infantino said that migrant workers were given work and pay and were proud to contribute to constructing the stadiums.[31] The tournament has been condemned by human rights group Amnesty International, who have alleged that workers were subject to forced labor.[32] On 19 November 2022, with the World Cup soon to begin, he declared that he felt Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled and like a migrant worker.[33] Infantino also charged Western countries with "hypocrisy" for criticizing Qatar on moral grounds.[34] In an hour-long monologue, he told reporters: "What we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons."[35] Infantino also used the speech to accuse Western companies operating in Qatar of hypocrisy for profiting from doing business in the country without discussing the rights of migrant workers with Qatari authorities.[36] Norwegian national team coach Ståle Solbakken responded to Infantino's outburst by saying that Infantino is not fit to teach anyone about morals and ethics, and that Infantino is neither a great sports leader nor a great historian.[37]

2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia

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On 31 October 2023, Infantino announced that Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. FIFA restricted the hosting eligibility to Asia or Oceania after it made the decision to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup on three continents (Africa, Europe and South America) alongside the restriction of North America following the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This paved the way for Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup by substantially reducing opportunities for competing host bids.[38]

Infantino has a documented relationship with the Saudi regime.[6] He has frequently promoted Saudi sporting events on social media and has frequently been photographed alongside Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman. He engaged in private diplomacy on Saudi Arabia's behalf, as he explored whether Greece and Egypt would be willing to partner with Saudi Arabia to host the 2030 World Cup. When Spain, Portugal and Morocco announced that they would bid together for the 2030 World Cup, it was considered unlikely that the bid could be beaten. For this reason, Saudi Arabia backed out of bidding for 2030.

In October 2023, FIFA announced that the first three games of the 2030 FIFA World Cup would be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, with the rest to be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.[39] This ruled out European, African and South American nations from bidding to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, allowing only Asian or Oceanian bids. FIFA also unexpectedly sped up the bidding process for the World Cup, giving only 25 days for interested nations to express their intent to host. Within minutes, Saudi Arabia announced a bid, and within hours, the head of the Asian Football Confederation supported the Saudi bid.[6] Infantino had also urged the AFC to fully support and unite around the Saudi bid, discouraging other AFC members from submitting their own bids.[40]

FIFA Club World Cup

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In 2024, FIFA decided, with Infantino's approval, that Infantino's name would be engraved on the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup trophy. The trophy also included the following passage, "We are witness to a new age. The golden era of club football: the era of the FIFA Club World Cup. The pinnacle of all club competitions. Inspired by the FIFA president Gianni Infantino."[7]

FIFA ethics investigations

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In July 2016, Infantino was interviewed by the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee on suspicion of breaches of the FIFA code of ethics.[41]

The investigation was focused on three issues: "several flights taken by Mr Infantino during the first months of his presidency, human resources matters related to hiring processes in the president's office, and Mr Infantino's refusal to sign the contract specifying his employment relationship with FIFA".[42]

Although a document was leaked describing illegitimate spending of funds by FIFA[41] the body's expenses and governance were not investigated.[42] The document alleged that Infantino had billed FIFA for personal expenses, including £8,795 for mattresses at his home, £6,829 for a stepper exercise machine, £1,086 for a tuxedo, £677 on flowers and £132 on personal laundry. In addition, Infantino demanded that FIFA hire an external driver for his family and advisors while he was away.[41]

When Infantino accepted special treatment by the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts (Russia and Qatar respectively) the potential for a conflict of interest was raised. The hosts had organized private jets for Infantino and his staff related to visits in Russia and Qatar.[41] The investigatory chamber was of the opinion that no violation had occurred. In addition, the chamber found that "human resources matters, as well as Mr. Infantino's conduct with regard to his contract with FIFA, if at all, constituted internal compliance issues rather than an ethical matter."[42]

While the investigatory chamber discharged Infantino, criticism of his conduct continued. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of FC Bayern Munich, criticized Infantino for not fulfilling his promises regarding transparency, democracy and governance. "So far this has not succeeded in my eyes," he complained.[43]

In July 2020 further allegations arose when Infantino was accused of having a secret meeting with Michael Lauber [de], the Attorney General of Switzerland. Lauber offered to resign after a court ruled that he had covered up the meeting and lied to supervisors during an investigation by his office into corruption surrounding FIFA. Infantino defended himself, claiming, "to meet with the attorney general of Switzerland is perfectly legitimate and it's perfectly legal. It's no violation of anything."[44]

Personal life

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Infantino is married to Lebanese Leena Al Ashqar; the couple have four children.[8] Since October 2021, he also spends time in Doha, Qatar, where he rents a house, and two of his children attend school.[45] Some, including former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, have speculated on Infantino's intention to move the FIFA headquarters away from Zurich.[45] Infantino assured that his official residency remains in Canton Zurich, and explained that organizing the World Cup in Qatar necessitated his presence there.[46] In November 2022, it was reported that he moved his official residency to Zug, Switzerland in June 2022, which was confirmed by FIFA.[47] Infantino is a fan of Italian club Inter Milan.[48]

References

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  1. ^ FIFA.com
  2. ^ a b c d e "Gianni Infantino". UEFA.com. 8 January 2010. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Who We Are – News – Gianni Infantino is re-elected as FIFA President until 2023". FIFA. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  4. ^ "IOC Session elects three new Members – Olympic News". International Olympic Committee. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  5. ^ "FIFA president Infantino hails Qatar 2022 as 'the greatest World Cup ever' | Goal.com". www.goal.com. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Panja, Tariq (15 November 2023). "Inside Man: How FIFA Guided the World Cup to Saudi Arabia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  7. ^ a b Sheldon, Dan (2024). "FIFA president Gianni Infantino's name engraved on new Club World Cup trophy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  8. ^ a b c "The President – Gianni Infantino". FIFA. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Infantino, l'avvocato di origini calabresi che tifava Inter" (in Italian). sportmediaset.it. 26 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Everything you need to know about Gianni Infantino, the new Fifa president". The Guardian. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  11. ^ a b "UEFA Executive Committee supports UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino for FIFA presidency". UEFA.com. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  12. ^ Borden, Sam (24 February 2016). "In FIFA Pitch, Gianni Infantino Pushes Expansion and Continuity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  13. ^ "Thirteen cities to host UEFA EURO 2020". UEFA.com. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  14. ^ "UEFA & FIFA warn Greece over government's planned new football laws |thetoc.gr". The TOC In English. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  15. ^ Nicholson, Paul. "Exclusive: Infantino fires second warning shot to Greece over football law proposal – Inside World Football". insideworldfootball.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  16. ^ "FIFA Committees – 2016 FIFA Reform Committee – FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  17. ^ "Statement from UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino". UEFA.com. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  18. ^ "Gianni Infantino to expand World Cup to 40 teams if elected Fifa president". The Guardian. Associated Press. 10 November 2015. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Gianni Infantino elected FIFA President". FIFA.com. 26 February 2016. Archived from the original on 27 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  20. ^ "Donald Trump travel ban could prevent USA from hosting 2026 World Cup". The Independent. 9 March 2017.
  21. ^ a b "WATCH: Vladimir Putin gives FIFA president Gianni Infantino a medal after World Cup praise".
  22. ^ Smith, Rory (25 February 2022). "Soccer, Russia and a Line Drawn Too Late". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  23. ^ Owen Gibson (6 April 2016). "Panama Papers: Fifa president Gianni Infantino pulled into corruption scandal". the Guardian.
  24. ^ "Statement from FIFA President Gianni Infantino". FIFA.com. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016.
  25. ^ Johnstone, Lindsey (11 October 2019). "Watch: Iranian women attend first football match in 40 years". euronews. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  26. ^ "هشدار دوباره فیفا به ایران: به زنان باید اجازه حضور در ورزشگاه داده شود". euronews (in Persian). 19 September 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  27. ^ a b "Fifa 'assured' Iranian women will be able to attend football matches". BBC News. 22 September 2019.
  28. ^ Johnstone, Lindsey (19 September 2019). "Watch: FIFA tells Iran women must be allowed into stadiums". euronews. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  29. ^ "Iran football: Women attend first match in decades". BBC Sport. 10 October 2019.
  30. ^ McTague, Tom (19 November 2022). "The Qatar World Cup Exposes Soccer's Shame". The Atlantic.
  31. ^ "Infantino on Qatar: Migrant workers get pride from hard work". AP NEWS. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  32. ^ Bosher, Luke. "Qatar World Cup workers subject to 'forced labour' — Amnesty International". The Athletic. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  33. ^ Murphy, Tim. ""Today, I feel gay. Today, I feel disabled," says FIFA's president, who is neither". Mother Jones. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  34. ^ Mulvenney, Nick (19 November 2022). "FIFA chief accuses critics of Qatar of hypocrisy ahead of World Cup". Reuters.
  35. ^ Church, Ben (19 November 2022). "Explosive tirade from FIFA boss threatens to overshadow World Cup opener". CNN.
  36. ^ Mohamed, Hamza. "FIFA president slams Western 'hypocrisy' over Qatar criticism". Al Jazeera English.
  37. ^ "Solbakken om Infantino: – Den siste som skal lekse opp om moral og etikk". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). 19 November 2022.
  38. ^ Panja, Tariq (4 October 2023). "FIFA Will Host 2030 World Cup on Three Continents". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  39. ^ "FIFA World Cup 2030™: Morocco, Portugal and Spain joint bid is sole candidate to host". fifa.com. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  40. ^ "AFC voices support for Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup bid as Indonesia pull out". www.insidethegames.biz. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  41. ^ a b c d "Fifa president Gianni Infantino to be interviewed by ethics committee". BBC Sport. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  42. ^ a b c "Fifa president Gianni Infantino cleared of breaching ethics code". The Independent. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  43. ^ "German power players Rummenigge and Grindel slam Infantino presidency". Inside World Football. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  44. ^ "Gianni Infantino: Legal proceedings launched against Fifa president". BBC Sport. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  45. ^ a b "FIFA President Gianni Infantino moves to Qatar". Swissinfo. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  46. ^ "Infantino ist nach Zug gezogen – und spart damit ordentlich Steuern". stern.de (in German). 28 November 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  47. ^ "Infantino ist nach Zug gezogen – und spart damit ordentlich Steuern". Stern (in German). 28 November 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  48. ^ "Infantino presidente Fifa: ecco l'ex re dei sorteggi che amava Altobelli" [Infantino FIFA president: here is the ex-king of draws who loved Altobelli]. Gazzetta.it (in Italian). 26 February 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by UEFA Chief Executive
2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UEFA General Secretary
2009–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Issa Hayatou (Acting)
 FIFA President
2016–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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