FIFA Elects New President Gianni Infantino

Infantino will replace scandal-plagued Sepp Blatter as the head of soccer’s worldwide governing body

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Gianni Infantino has been elected president of soccer’s international governing body, FIFA, defeating presumed favorite Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Infantino, a lawyer of Swiss and Italian nationality, replaces longtime FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who ran the organization for nearly two decades. In June, Blatter’s resignation was announced, following a massive bribery scandal in the soccer world.

Infantino, who was elected to a four-year term as president, won in a second round of voting, after neither candidate received the required 138 votes in the first round. In the second round, which only required a simple majority, Infantino received 115 votes.

In June, just a week after being re-elected to the post, Blatter issued a resignation statement.

“I have thoroughly thought about my presidency and the 40 years FIFA has played in my life,” Blatter said at the time. “I love FIFA more than anything else and I only want to do the best. I decided to stand again for election for the good of football.”

“My mandate does not appear to be supported by everybody,” he continued. “This is why I will call an extraordinary meeting.”

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