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It was with a tremendous amount of irony that Switzerland’s Gianni Infantino was elected the most powerful man in football as the new president of FIFA.
Despite offering a 90-day turnaround manifesto that promises change it was by appealing to the traits of the past that, in my opinion, he secured a term in office.
Infantino is the second straight president to hail from the Valais region in the Swiss Alps, living in Brig just a few miles down the road from the outgoing Sepp Blatter.
Having only entered the election fray after Michel Platini was banned from football for allegedly receiving an illegal payment which he still strongly refutes; Infantino has travelled the globe steadily since announcing his candidacy in an effort to speak to the voters directly, clocking up the equivalent of five trips around the world.
More importantly, he offered cash … lots of cash.
Every one of FIFA’s 209 member nations has been offered an additional $5 million over the next four years over and above their current payments while the six continental blocs (of which UEFA is one), will receive $40 million, with an additional $4 million being made available for youth tournaments.
This is all well and good if there is accountability, yet, worryingly, these additional offers come at a time at which FIFA is facing a $550 million deficit in their five-year budget, as identified by Markus Kattner, the acting secretary general.
His slick manifesto contains all of the promises you would expect, such as enhanced transparency and improved corporate governance, in addition to full support for the additional reforms approved by FIFA.
The billions that FIFA generates from TV income that is distributed to countries has been a focus of suspicion and the new reforms promise closer auditing along with, supposedly, a separation from the president in determining how this is spent in an effort to prevent the buying of votes.
Yet, Infantino also took other more subtle leaves from Blatter’s book, appealing to the smaller and developing nations, in the process denting the support offered to his presidential rival, Bahrain’s Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.
Blatter always had a reputation for gaining favour with certain countries which have long been wary of European nations possibly gaining greater control as a result of the money flowing around in their domestic leagues.
It’s difficult to understand how such spending can be authorised for a single candidate, particularly to this level?
Supporters of Shaikh Salman could feel a little aggrieved in the circumstances, having watched their man being forced to spend much of his time responding to allegations that have been unsubstantiated with his accusers largely choosing to hide behind the anonymity of the internet or legally-approved terminology that makes suggestions rather than referring to specific events. Diligently, he also refused to make potential vote-winning financial commitments that he believed could bankrupt FIFA.
As a first-choice candidate, both Shaikh Salman and Infantino polled 88-85 votes in the initial round of voting. With Prince Ali, of Jordan, attaining 27 votes another round of voting was required for the first time since 1974 when Joao Havelange of Brazil beat Stanley Rous who had been the incumbent for 13 years.
It was the second round that saw Infantino gain the decisive gap thanks to the swing in support of Prince Ali’s voters, aided by Sunil Gulait, president of US Soccer, which is expected to submit a bid to host the 2026 World Cup.
In securing 115 votes to Shaikh Salman’s 88, Infantino became just the ninth president in the 111-year history of FIFA, emblematic of its resistance to change.
Yet the 45-year-old polyglot lawyer takes charge at the most turbulent time in FIFA’s history with many of football’s top officials having been charged with crimes including bribery and money laundering.
That’s not the end with Swiss prosecutors, in conjunction with their US counterparts, believed to also be launching investigations into World Cup ticketing contracts stretching back decades.
It’s difficult to know where Infantino should start although his priority must surely be to implement the reforms with independent oversight that applies as much to the confederations and member associations as it does to FIFA itself.
This will be crucial if FIFA is to restore its credibility and fill the 27 sponsorship opportunities that remain vacant – presumably the fastest way to fill the financial deficit he himself has just made bigger!
It was fortuitous timing that Bahrain welcomed Harry Redknapp on the same day as the election, although this was one topic that he refused to be drawn upon in an otherwise highly-entertaining evening at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa.
’Arry, as he is affectionately known, happily mingled with guests, posing for photographs and signing football shirts. Being one of the few remaining ‘old school’ managers, hopes were high for an evening where he gave fans a glimpse behind the scenes and he did not disappoint.
Redknapp covered plenty of ground, in fact more than he did in his playing days, reminiscing about the legendary Sir Bobby Moore before moving to his managerial career, providing insight into his most recent jobs with Portsmouth, Spurs and QPR.
