Infantino wins a second term as FIFA president at the Kigali congress.
During the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, Gianni Infantino was re-elected without opposition to head the world's governing body of football for another four years.
Kigali, Rwanda | BAZZUP | During the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, Gianni Infantino was re-elected without opposition to head the world’s governing body of football for another four years.
President Infantino said the following shortly after being re-elected to a four-year term beginning in 2023:
“Being FIFA President is a tremendous honor, a tremendous privilege, and it comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility.
Your generosity has genuinely affected and humbled me, and I pledge to continue serving FIFA, football in general, and all 211 FIFA member associations.
An election FIFA Congress was held in Africa for the first time ever. Paul Kagame, president of the Republic of Rwanda, began the proceedings.
In his speech, President Kagame greeted the 208 member associations in attendance to his nation and wished President Infantino luck in his upcoming reelection.
The FIFA President emphasized FIFA’s responsibility for competition organization and football development. The prize money for the 32-team FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand later this year, will climb significantly, reaching over USD 150 million. This is a number that is more than three times that of the previous tournament in 2019 and ten times that of 2015.
The launch of the FIFA World Series and the revised 32-team FIFA Club World Cup were also mentioned by President Infantino as upcoming changes to the FIFA Under-17 World Cups for boys and girls. These changes will make it possible for teams from every confederation to compete more frequently on the international stage.
Another important commitment was to maintain excellent governance, which included making more adjustments to the transfer system and being dedicated to financial sustainability throughout the football pyramid. The promise of USD 11 billion in revenue over the following four years for the next financial cycle represents a significant increase above the USD 6.4 billion original objective from the previous cycle and the USD 7.5 billion in revenue that was ultimately recorded.
The President of FIFA reaffirmed that FIFA would continue to play a leading role in the world in ensuring that the power of football is used to bring about positive social change. This commitment to future generations was also mentioned, whether it be on the field through the FIFA Talent Development Scheme or off it through football-related gaming.
The president of the Gibraltar Football Association, Michael Llamas, delivered a video message to the Congress as well. Mr. Llamas stated that in his capacity as the chair of the FIFA Sub-Committee on Human Rights and Social Responsibility, the group is dedicated to evaluating the impact of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on human rights, which will also aid in planning for future FIFA competitions.
Furthermore accepted were the consolidated financial accounts for 2022, the FIFA statutory financial statements for 2022, the budgets for 2023–2026 and 2024, as well as the appointment of the auditors for 2023–2025. The location of the following Congress has not yet been determined; it will take place on May 17, 2024.
