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| Gianni Infantino FIFA President |
On Thursday, during the 73rd Congress of the Association in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, Gianni Infantino was re-elected as the president of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA).
Infantino has been dogged by scandals, notably the treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to last year's World Cup in Qatar and a failed attempt to hold the competition every two years, but he faced no challengers, making his re-election as the president of football's governing body a formality.
But in his
statement following his reelection, FIFA President Sepp Blatter urged for more
football to be played around the world and pledged record profits of $11
billion over the following four years.
It carries a great deal of responsibility along with an enormous honor and privilege.
I commit to continuing to support FIFA and football in general.
Infantino added, "To those who adore me—and I know there are many—and to those who loathe me, I love you all.
Infantino acknowledged that FIFA's revenue reached record highs during the previous cycle of 2019–2022, but he pledged to significantly increase it once more as a result of the expansion of the men's and women's World Cup competitions and the addition of a 32-team Club World Cup.
"Revenues increased to a record $7.5 billion (through 2022) during a time when COVID-19 was a problem.
FIFA reserves were approximately $1 billion when I came; as of this writing, they are almost $4 billion, according to Infantino.
The new Club World Cup is not included in the $11 billion amount that we have promised for the upcoming cycle, so it could rise by a few billions (more).
Infantino stated that FIFA would keep looking at the transfer process to "increase transparency" and hinted that the group may discuss a salary ceiling.
"Both our rules and the FIFA statutes need to be improved. We will look at the transfer system and continue to develop our good governance principles. We may also have a conversation about how to increase the transparency of transfer fees and compensation.
"We need to consider how we might implement a cap, which may be required. We'll examine it with all interested parties and see what we can do.
Despite his seven years in office being financially successful, Infantino has courted controversy as well, which has made him unpopular with several member organisations.
He charged hypocrisy and bigotry against those who criticized the World Cup host nation Qatar's human rights record.
The host nation's handling of migrant labor, its stance on LGBT rights, and FIFA's threats to punish players for political views all came up during the tournament in the desert state.
This included the "One Love" anti-discrimination armband's prohibition, which sparked outrage in various sectors.
FIFA has previously discussed establishing a legacy fund to help and reward migrant workers who contributed to the construction of the World Cup's stadiums and other infrastructure.
But as no specific plans have been made public, the FIFA president did not bring it up in his speech.
He did make the implication that FIFA had improved its governance.
"An independent audit will be conducted on every single dollar invested in initiatives and groups. Simply put, money doesn't disappear anymore.
"For this reason, the institutions have restored faith in FIFA. We received more than $200 million back from the US Department of Justice, which was stolen money from dishonest authorities. The money has been put back into football.
FIFA's decision to increase the men's World Cup from 64 to 104 games has drawn criticism from player welfare organizations, while Infantino said that more international football matches were necessary.
"Well, there may be too much football in some regions, but not everywhere," I reply when I hear that. In actuality, hardly enough football is played in the majority of the world.
"We want football to grow internationally, thus we need many more competitions, not less.
"We are debating holding a FIFA World Series and a women's Club World Cup in March every two years, when teams are exempt from qualifying."
Following Sepp Blatter's departure in 2016, Infantino was first chosen in an Extraordinary Congress, and he was re-elected without opposition three years later.
But, as this is his second term in office, he will be eligible for a third and final term in four years.
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