Gianni Infantino Re-Elected as FIFA President Until 2023
Gianni Infantino has been re-elected as FIFA president until 2023, after he was the only candidate to stand for election.
After succeeding Sepp Blatter in 2016, Infantino has overseen drastic changes to global tournaments like the World Cup, while he has also proposed plenty of other alternations to club competitions.
The news was confirmed by one of FIFA's official Twitter page, with Infantino the only candidate to run for the post at the 69th FIFA congress in Paris. As such, there was no drawn-out voting process as in previous elections, as Infantino was confirmed by acclamation of FIFA's 211 members.
During his time in charge, Infantino finalized plans to expand the 2026 World Cup from 32 teams to 48, although his efforts to implement that change in 2022 were rejected in May amid fears it would require a second host nation.
He has also pushed to turn the Club World Cup into a 24-team competition which would take place every four years. While FIFA may have approved his plans, many of Europe's top sides have threatened to boycott such a tournament, with current Champions League holders Liverpool one of several sides to suggest they would decline to participate.
The news of Infantino's success comes just one day after former UEFA president Lennart Johansson passed away at the age of 89. The Swede was inspirational in founding the Champions League, and he was one of the most respected leaders of world football.
Infantino was one of many figures to pay tribute to Johansson, telling FIFA's website: "I am heartbroken by the news of the passing away of Lennart Johansson. He was a friend and an invaluable source of wisdom and inspiration.
"I will be forever grateful for having had him as the president of UEFA when I joined the organisation in 2000. Since then, Lennart has always been a role model of professionalism and, more importantly, of humanity."
