Gianni Infantino has been elected FIFA President and “important” reforms at world football’s governing body approved after an Extraordinary Congress that featured an FA delegation led by Chairman Greg Dyke.
UEFA general secretary Infantino secured the majority of votes required to win the election after a second ballot of FIFA’s 209 member associations at the FIFA summit in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday.
Infantino polled 115 ahead of Sheikh Salman of Bahrain (88), Prince Ali (4) of Jordan and Frenchman Jerome Champagne (0).
“Reforms are more important than who is the President”
Greg Dyke FA Chairman
In the first round, none of the candidates had managed to get the two-thirds majority needed, with front-runners Infantino and Salman securing 88 and 85 of the votes respectively. South African hopeful Tokyo Sexwale had withdrawn after the candidate speeches.
The FA Board publicly declared support for Infantino as its preferred candidate to run world football’s governing body after a meeting earlier this month, with Greg Dyke describing his candidacy as “impressive”.
In taking to the stage at the Hallenstadion, the Swiss said: “I cannot express my feelings in this moment.
"I told you I went through a journey, an exceptional journey, a journey which made me meet many fantastic people. Many people who live football, who love football, who breathe football every day and many people who deserve that FIFA is highly respected.
"We will restore the image of FIFA and the respect of FIFA and everyone in the world will applaud us for what we will do in future. I would like to thank all 209 countries, all the other candidates. We had a sporting competition and it was a great sign of democracy in FIFA and I want to be the President of all of you."
Dyke, who was joined in the Swiss city by FA chief executive Martin Glenn, had spoken before the election of the need for FIFA reform and a package of changes including term limits, financial transparency and a more representative FIFA Council body, was approved earlier in the day by Congress.
FA Chairman Greg Dyke
FA Vice-Chairman David Gill, who sits on the FIFA Executive Committee and had also previously expressed his public support for Infantino, had helped approve the reforms that went before the Congress. In a morning vote, these were supported by 179, or 89 per cent, of the 207 nations eligible to vote.
Dyke said: “The reforms are more important than who is the President. The reforms are about the way FIFA conducts its business and I think there is an overwhelming majority of people that want to support those.
“What matters is tracing the money in and tracing the money out. What matters is making sure decision-making is done properly and democratically. If all of those things come out of this then I think FIFA has a better chance in the future.”
Kuwait and Indonesia were the two countries of FIFA’s 209 member associations to be prevented in casting a vote because of interim suspension.
The Congress comes before IFAB, world football’s law-makers, meet in Cardiff on 4-6 March with FIFA and The FA will be represented along with the Football Association of Wales, as hosts, the Irish Football Association and the Scottish Football Association.
The next FIFA Congress will be held in Mexico City on 12-13 May.
