Sepp Blatter closely watched as 207 out of 209 members chose his successor. On Friday, during the FIFA congress in Zurich, the organization elected polyglot lawyer Gianni Infantino as the new president. The 45-year-old Italian-Swiss native was born just twelve minutes away from S.Blatter's hometown. Infantino promised bright FIFA futures, while the associations that elected him hope for strict changes and transparent football.
Infantino celebrated victory in the second round of elections, surpassing 50 percent of the votes. The UEFA general secretary, who received the support of 115 associations, defeated the other three candidates. Business magnate Tokyo Sexwale, who withdrew from the elections, watched everything from afar.
The biggest battle for Infantino was with Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa from Bahrain. In the first round, Salman got 85 votes compared to Infantino's 88. In the second round, Salman got 88 votes and listened as his opponent thanked for the support.
"Thank you. I have had an amazing journey and met fantastic people who love and breathe football. I want to be the president of all of you - 209 countries. I want to work with everyone and start a new era where we place football at the center of events," said Infantino.
He also received praise from Sepp Blatter, known as the godfather of football.
"He is a worthy successor," said Blatter.
He praised Infantino for his "experience, knowledge, and strategic and diplomatic skills."
In his statement, Blatter wrote that Infantino has all the qualities to continue the work and stabilize FIFA.
Infantino will lead the FIFA organization until May 2019.
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