Giovanni Vincenzo "Gianni" Infantino (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒovanni vintʃentso iɱfanˈtiːno]; born 23 March 1970) is a football administrator and current FIFA president. He holds dual nationality, Swiss and Italian. He has been the general secretary of UEFA since 2009 and was elected president of FIFA during the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress on 26 February 2016.
Gianni Infantino was born on 23 March 1970in Brig, Switzerland. He is son of Italian immigrant parents from Calabria and Lombardy. He studied law at the University of Fribourg. He is fluent in Italian, French and German and also knows English, Spanish, and Arabic.
Infantino worked as the Secretary General of the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES) at the University of Neuchâtel.
Gianni 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. During his time there, UEFA introduced Financial Fair Play and improved commercial support to smaller national associations. He oversaw the expansion of UEFA Euro 2016 to 24 teams and played a role in the conception of the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Euro 2020 that will take place in 13 European nations. 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 faces suspension from international football for government interference.
Infantino was a member of FIFA's Reform Committee. 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. He promised to expand the FIFA World Cup to 40 teams. On 26 February 2016, he was elected FIFA President for a period of 3 years. With his election, he became the first Italian to hold the Presidency of FIFA.
Infantino was implicated in the FIFA corruption scandal in documents released in the Panama Papers. They show UEFA undertook deals with indicted figures where previously they had denied any relationship. Infantino has stated he is "dismayed" at the reports and that he has never personally dealt with the parties involved.
Infantino is married to Lebanese Leena Al Ashqar; the couple have four children.He is a fan of Italian Serie A club Inter Milan.
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