FIFA announced today, Thursday, that its president since 2016, the Swiss Gianni Infantino, will be the only candidate next March for a third consecutive term.
The global organization said in a statement three days before the start of the World Cup final in Qatar (November 20 to December 18): “No other nominations were submitted by FIFA member associations prior to the pre-election conference scheduled in Kigali on March 16. , 2023″.
The extension of Infantino’s mandate was expected because FIFA’s electoral system, based on voting for each member union, allowed its former presidents to remain in office for consecutive terms, ensuring the support of the majority of voters: the Brazilian João. Havelange, who performed this task from 1974 to 1998, and Swiss Joseph Blatter from 1998 to 2015.
Infantino, first elected in 2016 with a promise to “restore FIFA’s image” and then mired in a global corruption scandal, formally announced his candidacy for a third term on March 31 in Doha without a single candidate. has been working to compete ever since.
However, the German Confederation announced on Wednesday that it would not support it and that it would like it to put “more emphasis on human rights and more commitment to humanitarian issues,” according to its president, Bernd Neuendorf, who is also calling for a foundation. to compensate workers involved in construction for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Infantino highlights FIFA’s continued growth in revenue, which expects record $7bn (€6.3bn) turnover during his second term, which ends in 2022.
On the other hand, the Swiss-Italian suffers for the implementation of many projects that have been announced to reform football, from the fleeting idea of holding a World Cup every two years, which was abandoned in March last year, which led to an increase in the number of clubs participating in the Club World Cup , up to 24 clubs that have not yet seen the light of day.
Source: AFP.