Gianni Infantino elected FIFA president
Posted February 26, 2016 9:09 am.
Last Updated February 26, 2016 9:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ZURICH – Gianni Infantino of Switzerland is the new FIFA president after winning a second-round vote.
Infantino got 115 of the 207 eligible votes to take a decisive majority ahead of Sheikh Salman of Bahrain.
Sheikh Salman got 88 votes after being the front-runner during the four-month campaign. Prince Ali of Jordan had four, and Jerome Champagne of France got zero.
In the first round, Infantino led with 88 votes. Sheikh Salman had 85 votes, Prince Ali 27, and Champagne seven.
Infantino, the 45-year-old general secretary of European governing body UEFA, is the second straight FIFA president from the Valais region in the Swiss Alps. The 45-year-old from Brig replaces the 79-year-old Sepp Blatter, who was born in neighbouring Visp.
The Canadian Soccer Association supported Infantino in the election.
