Gianni Infantino has been president of FIFA, the world soccer governing body, for ten years. There have been many developments during his tenure. Colleagues share their thoughts on this decade-long anniversary.
On Thursday, February 26, Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, will have been in office for ten years. The Swiss national took over the post from Sepp Blatter in 2016. His achievements during this decade, which is soon coming to an end, include the FIFA Club World Cup initiative, which was held for the first time last summer, and the increase in the number of participants in the classic World Cup, which will take place with 48 nations for the first time next summer.
“First of all, I think he has a heart for soccer,” says Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the long-time CEO of FC Bayern: “That’s something not every soccer official has, as I’ve discovered from my own experience.” He continues: “He has a soft spot for soccer, so he’s not just interested in what he’s always accused of, namely that FIFA’s revenue is huge, but he’s genuinely interested in soccer.”
Arsene Wenger sees it similarly. “Gianni is someone who wants to move forward, who is open to new ideas. I am grateful to him for emphatically supporting my proposals for training players in academies and in the countries, i.e., for the development of all countries,“ says the legendary coach and current FIFA chief developer: ”He is aware that every country deserves a chance, and he helped me raise the funds and persuade all the associations to vote for this program.”
Wenger and Rummenigge have known Infantino for decades. “I have always appreciated Gianni,” says the Bayern supervisory board member: “Even when he was angry with me or I was angry with him, we always found a fair and serious solution in the end.”
However, Infantino has also faced repeated criticism on his anniversary. For example, his appearance at the first meeting of Donald Trump’s controversial Peace Council caused quite a stir.
