FIFA: Gianni Infantino
WIKI
Early life
Gianni Infantino was born on 23 March 1970[1] in Brig, Switzerland.[3] He is of Italian origin from Calabria and Lombardy.[4] He studied law at the University of Fribourg.[5] He is fluent inItalian, French and German and also knows English, Spanish, and Arabic.[3]
Career
Infantino worked as the Secretary General of the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES) at the University of Neuchâtel.[1]
UEFA
Gianni Infantino started working with UEFA in August 2000 and was appointed as the Director of UEFA’s Legal Affairs and Club Licensing Division in January 2004. He became Deputy General Secretary of UEFA in 2007 and Secretary General of UEFA in October 2009.[1][6] During his time there, UEFA introduced Financial Fair Play and improved commercial support to smaller national associations.[6] He oversaw the expansion of UEFA Euro 2016 to 24 teams[7] and played a role in the conception of the UEFA Nations League and theUEFA Euro 2020 that will take place in 13 European nations.[8]
In 2015, the Greek government decided to introduce a new sports law in response to the recent scandal and acts of violence and corruption mainly in Greek football. Gianni Infantino, as UEFA’s general secretary, led the negotiations with the Greek government and supported the Hellenic Football Federation’s warning to Greece that it faces suspension from international football for government interference.[9][10]
FIFA
Infantino was a member of FIFA’s Reform Committee.[11] On 26 October 2015, he received the backing of the UEFA Executive Committee to stand for the position of president in the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress. On the same day, he confirmed his candidacy and submitted the required declarations of support.[12] He wants to expand the FIFA World Cup to 40 teams.[13] On 26 February 2016, he was elected FIFA President for a period of 3 years.[2]
Personal life
Infantino is married to Lebanese Leena Al Ashqar and has four children.