Wolfgang Niersbach, who a year ago stood down as president of the German football association after a scandal engulfed Germany’s successful 2006 World Cup bid, said Infantino was the “best candidate” but a tough road lay ahead.
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Infantino was clearly floored by his election when the results were announced, and Blatter wants him to succeed now that the spotlight has shifted.
He inherited an organisation in crisis after several dozen soccer officials, some holding high ranks in Federation Internationale de Football Association at the time, were indicted in the United States while former president Sepp Blatter was banned for six years by FIFA’s ethics committee. Salman had 88 votes in the second ballot. “I will go up to the office and look at how to concretely implement these reforms so that, very soon, we can concentrate on football”, Infantino told reporters.
Four candidates remain in the running after Tokyo Sexwale withdrew at the extraordinary congress in Zurich. Before being appointed to the position, he was Uefa’s general secretary.
Infantino was appointed as Blatter’s successor after winning Friday’s election, and will be expected to implement a raft of reforms which were agreed earlier that day at the FIFA Congress.
Dyke continued: “And there was so much bad blood from the last time we tried – at government level as well as at the FA level”.
“In 2020, which is four years from now, I don’t know if I will still be the president, I hope so, but I don’t know because in 2019 there will be a new election”.
A simple majority of more than 50 per cent – 104 votes – was sufficient for victory in the second round.
Infantino, the general secretary of European governing body UEFA, is from Brig in the Valais region in the Swiss Alps and replaces the 79-year-old Blatter, who was born in neighbouring Visp. Sheikh Salman had 85 votes, Prince Ali 27, and Champagne seven.
‘I’m my own man. Otherwise you don’t win such an election.
“I want to tell to all of you, you will be proud of FIFA, proud of what FIFA will do for football”, Infantino said at his first news conference in the capacity of the FIFA chief.
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Montagliani, Omari and Infante are members of the FIFA Reform Committee that came up with the package that now has to be passed by the full Congress. The governance reforms are meant to increase transparency, help fight corruption and cut costs, with FIFA’s current 26 standing committees cut to nine.
