Infantino in Dark About FIFA Pay

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Gianni Infantino said on his first full working day he still did not know what he would be paid as the Fifa president.

Infantino said he expected the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup, delayed last year by a scandal that has engulfed Fifa, should begin in the next couple of months. The 2018 and 2022 tournaments, to be staged in Russia and Qatar, had to be the “best in history”, he said.

Speaking after an informal football match with Fifa employees and guests, Infantino said he had not discussed his salary following his election on Friday. “I have no idea yet. I know you can’t believe it but it’s not [for the] money that I was candidate to become Fifa president. I have not discussed with anyone about my pay or what my pay will be. We will see.“

The salary of Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter, suspended for six years, has never been made public. Reforms agreed by Fifa last week to overcome the corruption scandal included provision for salaries to be open to scrutiny.

He said bidding for the 2026 World Cup hosting, which was supposed to have started in 2015 with a decision due in Kuala Lumpur next year, should begin before the Mexico City congress in May.

“Definitely I think we need to launch the bidding process in the next couple of months, probably before the next congress in May,” Infantino said.

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Infantino Succeeds Blatter at FIFA

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Gianni Infantino has succeeded countryman Sepp Blatter as Fifa president.

The Uefa secretary general polled 115 votes in round two, 27 more than closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa.

Prince Ali bin al-Hussein was third with four, while Jerome Champagne failed to get any. Tokyo Sexwale withdrew before voting began in Zurich.

The first round of voting had failed to determine an outright winner,

A simple majority of more than 50 per cent - 104 votes - was sufficient for victory in the second round

Infantino is a 45-year-old lawyer from Brig in the Valais region of Switzerland, less than six miles from Blatter's hometown of Visp.

"I accept the result of this election, thank you," said Infantino.

"I went through an exceptional journey, met many fantastic people who love football, who breathe football.

"I want to be the president of all of you, of all 209 nations.

"I want to work with all of you to work together and build a new era where we can put football at the centre of the stage."

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Whistleblower Gives FIFA More Evidence

Swiss prosecutors say they have been given important evidence by a whistleblower in their investigation into Fifa and its suspended president, Sepp Blatter.

The Swiss attorney general’s spokesman, André Marty, said the case was making progress and formal charges could be brought by the end of the year.

Marty told the German broadcaster ARD: “A witness, a so-called whistleblower, gave us interesting information relevant to the case which brought us markedly forward in the criminal investigation.”

The Swiss attorney general, Michael Lauber, opened criminal proceedings against Blatter in September over suspected criminal mismanagement and misuse of Fifa money in two cases: a £1.3m payment made to the Uefa president, Michel Platini, in 2011, and selling undervalued World Cup TV rights to the disgraced former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner.

Blatter and Platini were banned for eight years last month by Fifa’s ethics committee over the payment.

The election contest to find Blatter’s successor is hotting up with a series of nominations being announced for Gianni Infantino, the Uefa general secretary, who is one of five candidates on 26 February.

Conmebol, the confederation which represents the 10 South American countries, has formally announced its support for Infantino, a Swiss-Italian lawyer.

The Central American Football Union (UNCAF), which represents seven small central American countries, has also announced its support for Infantino as have several Caribbean countries.

One of the outsiders for the role, South African politician and businessman Tokyo Sexwale, told Reuters that “the time for alliances is coming”. Sexwale, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, the favourite, and Infantino are all attending the final of the Asian Football Championship between South Korea and Japan in Doha on Saturday, and Sexwale said the trio would discuss their options, with the South African likely to withdraw from the race.

That support should see Infantino could make a determined push against the favourite, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, the president of Asian football who also has strong backing in Africa.

The other three candidates are Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, the former French diplomat Jérôme Champagne and Tokyo Sexwale, a politician and businessman from South Africa.

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