Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The President of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), Mr Gianni Infantino, has been reelected to begin his second term as the head of the world’s football governing body.
This came during the 73rd FIFA Congress held in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, on Thursday.
He took over the reins from Mr Joseph Blatter, who had to leave the spot due to a scandal in 2016 but was officially elected for his first term in 2019, and upon this re-election, he can continue for another term in 2027 until 2031.
Speaking immediately after the re-election to serve from 2023 to 2027, President Infantino said, “Being FIFA President is an incredible honour, an incredible privilege, and it is also a great responsibility. I am truly humbled and touched by your support, and I promise you that I will continue serving FIFA, serving football all over the world, and serving all 211 FIFA member associations.”
It was the first time in its history that an elective FIFA Congress took place in Africa, and the proceedings were opened by Mr Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda.
In his address, President Kagame welcomed delegates from the 208 gathered member associations to his country and congratulated President Infantino on his impending re-election.
The FIFA President stressed FIFA’s role in organising competitions and developing football.
The President revealed that the 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand later this year would receive an extensive increase in prize money to over $150 million – more than three times the value from the last tournament in 2019 and 10 times more than in 2015.
President Infantino also referenced impending changes to the FIFA Under-17 World Cups at the boys’ and girls’ level, which will see those tournaments played on an annual basis, as well as the launch of the FIFA World Series and the revised 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, with the intention of giving teams from every confederation more opportunities to compete on the global stage.
Continued good governance was also a key pledge – including additional changes to the transfer system and a continued commitment to financial sustainability across the football pyramid.
For the next financial cycle, he made the commitment of $11 billion in revenue over the next four years, which represents a substantial increase on the initial target of $6.4 billion from the previous cycle and an increase on the $7.5 billion in revenue which was eventually reported.
