In fact, he was believed t have originally acted as replacement candidate for Michel Platini, the UEFA president, who is facing corruption charges.
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Speaking to the world’s media following his election success, Infantino said: “Today we have to build bridges, not build walls”.
Infantino, the outgoing UEFA general secretary, plans to appoint a non-European CEO.
Reform committee chairman Francois Carrard, a former International Olympic Committee director general, acclaimed Infantino as the “most complete candidate” while cautioning that a new era should not be hastily declared.
Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter has warned successor Gianni Infantino that friends will become increasingly hard to come by in the corridors of power.
During the election, Infantino broadened his range of support from other soccer administrators by calling for such reform measures as an increase in the number of teams competing in the soccer World Cup.
“FIFA has gone through sad times, moments of crisis, but those times are over and we need to move forward”, he said to the delegates.
‘Infantino is Infantino. Blatter is Blatter’.
“There’s a big job to be done but at least we’ve got a reform programme and at least we’ve got a president in whom we can trust”.
With both Blatter and Platini being banned for several years, the question remains: what will Infantino bring to the table in hopes of cleaning up their reputation as a governing body? Infantino has a good practical experience in a significant football association, being involved with Uefa since 2009.
Earlier a reform package was adopted by 179 members, while 22 voted against and six abstained.
South Africa’s Tokyo Sexwale suspended his campaign Friday, leaving Infantino, Salman, Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein of Jordan and former Blatter aide Jerome Champagne. Mr Infantino scored 115 of the 207 eligible votes while Mr. Salman got 88 votes. “We’re going to win back this respect through hard work, commitment and we’re going to make sure we can finally focus on this wonderful game that is football”, Infantino said, referring to measures approved at Friday’s congress.
“I want to see football growing all over the world and people looking at FIFA as the organisation that helps each country in the world to develop football”.
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“I congratulate you, but remember that this position you wanted will not be easy”, Blatter wrote in an open letter published by French newspaper Journal du Dimanche. That strategy often worked for Blatter, who won five presidential elections on promises of generosity to smaller, cash-strapped countries.
