At 52, Gianni Infantino’s carnivorous smile in front of the FIFA Congress reveals how much he knows how to savor these moments. The representatives of the 211 FIFA federations reappointed him without a hitch to the presidency of the football multinational, including Philippe Diallo, interim boss of the FFF, in line with Noël Le Graët’s unconditional support for his great friend Gianni (who paid him back by confirming him at the head of the Paris office of the international federation). The man can also dream of remaining in control until 2031. Indeed, his first term of three years, when he had taken advantage of – even precipitate according to some – the ousting of Sepp Blatter (and Michel Platini), was deemed incomplete.
Money above all else
The unanimity that surrounds Gianni Infantino has only one face, that of the green dollar. FIFA has continued to grow fat under his reign, despite the economic crisis and the Covid (+18% in revenue and 1.2 billion in profits, which makes a purchase of the Stade de F credible.rance, by the way). What to water in return the small federations and guarantee a financial consensus around its balance sheet. Only UEFA sometimes cringes when it mixes of his business (by secretly supporting the Superleague) or seems to want to recover his share of the C1 cake (his project of a Cclub world cup every four years with 32 teams). Naturally, the man like to show up in great humanist. “FIFA, like football, unites the world”, he was moved in his introductory speech. We must dare such an affirmation after the World Cup in Qatar. Moreover, the president of the Norwegian federation, Lise Klaveness, continues to demand the establishment of this compensation fund for the families of migrants who died on construction sites in Doha. In vain.
🚨 It’s done: Gianni Infantino is re-elected FIFA President by acclamation, in the absence of a candidate against him, at the Kigali Congress with a new 4-year term until 2027.#FIFACongresspic.twitter.com/wgTJiDuJJx
— FC Geopolitics (@FCGeopolitics) March 16, 2023
Meanwhile, Gianni Infantino underline for example his worry the place of women in football: maternity leave, support for victims of sexual violence, etc. He has, however, business-firstvalidated the choice of the Brazilian model Adriana Lima in “ fan ambassador for the women’s CDM in Australia and New Zealand, which provoked skepticism in women’s football, even the indignation of feminists. Nothing that can’t to prevent its good awareness to sleep on a comfortable mattress of banknotes. He was so good that he almost self-paid a total remuneration of 3.62 million euros over the calendar year 2022. The man who lived in Qatar and then again in Switzerland should not fear too much his tax slip. Taxation remains the bogeyman of a FIFA which always asks to be exempted from it. Besides, isn’t it an organization on purpose non-profit ?
A disconnected man
Basically, the line of conduct remains the same: it is devoid of any reflection on this sport that is not primarily intended to fill the coffers. The passage of the World Cup to 48 teams is an extreme illustration of this. However, the man carries around a few saucepans behind him, which could bring it down. A profile which is terribly reminiscent of that of Christmas Le Graët, except for matters of moral or sexual harassment. Except that the President of FIFA did not no one, no one authority, nor government or public opinion, above him. He discusses eye to eye with heads of state, as with Emmanuel Macron recently, and often dictates his conditions. Gianni Infantino is however subject to criminal proceedings in Switzerland for “ incitement to abuse of authority, violation of official secrecy and obstruction of criminal proceedings ».
We must give Africans hope that they will not have to cross the Mediterranean to perhaps have a better life here. We must give them opportunities and dignity.
On the communication side, his speaking turns out to be more and more unreal or disconnected. In front of the Council of Europe in January 2022, in order to defend his dream of a World Cup every two years, he swung this without frown: ” We must give Africans hope that they will not have to cross the Mediterranean to perhaps have a better life here. We must give them opportunities and dignity. » During the current congress, he did not hesitate to compare his refusal to give up the presidency of FIFA in 2016 to the courage of Rwandans after the genocide. We look forward to his next releases “ I feel green » on ecology, knowing that the footprint carbon of a World Cup on a continental scale and with 48 teams will have nothing to envy to that in Qatar this fall. Not to mention his wish barely concealed to speed up Russia’s reintegration of his comrade Putin into the football family. However, he will have to deal with applications common, since no country seems to able to assume alone the cost of such a competition. That of Morocco, Portugal and Spain poses some small problems geopolitics (Nord/South) not negligible. But for Gianni Infantino’s FIFA, “ money unites their world ».
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