FIFA Presidential Candidate Infantino Calls to Reform Organization

Infantino is running for the FIFA presidency with a manifesto that includes annual disclosure of the pay of the FIFA president, secretary-general and FIFA members.

The officially registered candidates running for the post of the FIFA president in February 26 elections are: UEFA Secretary General Gianni Infantino, FIFA Vice President and Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, South Africa’s ex-Minister Of Housing Construction Tokyo Sexwale, former-FIFA Secretary General Jerome Champagne and President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.

“Each Confederation shall have to wait at least two editions before being able to host the World Cup again”, he said.

Despite being banned from the world of global football for eight years, Sepp Blatter will continue to receive his salary from FIFA until a new president is elected in late February, a FIFA spokesperson confirmed to Simon Evans of Reuters.

He said, “This will ensure a more equitable rotation, while giving every confederation the opportunity to organise this unique event”.

Blatter’s payments are tied to his mandate as Federation Internationale de Football Association president which does not run out until he is replaced by a new elected president but a spokesman for the body’s compensation sub-committee said they had stopped payment of his bonuses.

Infantino also promises financial incentives for member nations by distributing a greater share of FIFA’s reserves: $5 million for developmental projects and operations, up from $2 million in the last four-year cycle. No reason was given for Valcke’s sudden departure, although it came after allegations of World Cup ticket sale corruption were made against the 55-year-old Frenchman.

Last month Blatter was banned for eight years from football after it was found he gave consent for a $3 million (NZD) payment from FIFA to European football boss Michel Platini in 2011. Platini, like Blatter, was subsequently banned from football for eight years.

Infantino’s manifesto reads: “As a further means of transparency and accountability, the remuneration and benefits of the FIFA president, FIFA council members, committee members and the secretary general/CEO of the FIFA administration shall be disclosed publicly and on an annual basis”.

But CONCACAF’s former president Jeffrey Webb, who was arrested in May, has had his contract terminated and is not receiving any cash from the body, a spokesman for the governing body for the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean said.