Fifa's New President Named As Gianni Infantino, UEFA General Secretary, Who Vows To 'Bring Football Back' After Corruption Scandal

New Fifa President 'Will Bring Football Back' After Corruption Scandal
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The new Fifa president has pledged to bring to "bring football back" to the world's governing body after it was rocked by a massive corruption scandal.

Gianni Infantino was voted the new president, as Fifa struggles to restore its reputation and its former, long-serving president is banned from the sport for ethical violations.

"I will work tirelessly to bring football back to Fifa and Fifa back to football," Infantino, a 45-year-old lawyer and previous general secretary of European governing body UEFA, told voters.

"This is what we want to do.. I feel a lot of emotion and have not realised yet what has happened today. It is still very fresh and it's been a long and exciting journey and I probably need some time to chill out and see what has happened."

He won with 115 votes in the second round of voting. Sheikh Salman followed with 88 votes and Prince Ali al-Hussein with four. Jerome Champagne received none.

In his victory speech, he said: "Everyone in the world will applaud us for what we will do. Everyone will be proud of what we will do.”

Sheikh Salman had been the favourite to win but Infantino's backing from UEFA proved too strong.

Reaction was mixed, with some expressing their hope that the new Fifa leader would usher in a new era for the sport after the body has suffered allegations of corruption.

While others were less convinced...

Former president Sepp Blatter, who is banned from football for six years for ethics violations, said that Infantino was a worthy successor to continue his work and "has all the qualities to continue my work and to stabilize FIFA again" after a corruption crisis".

Blatter praises Infantino's "experience, expertise, strategic and diplomatic skills" in a statement, the Associated Press reported.

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Gianni Infantino has become the new President of Fifa

Infantino will complete the rest of Blatter's presidential term, serving through May 2019. The 79-year-old official was banned by the FIFA ethics committees along with Infantino's now former boss, UEFA President Michel Platini.

The warm congratulations is a notable change of tone for Blatter, who early in the campaign sniped at Infantino despite the fact they come from neighbouring Swiss villages.

Infantino was only five years old when Blatter joined FIFA in 1975.