Gianni Infantino re-elected FIFA president by acclaim

Gianni Infantino was re-elected FIFA president by acclaim on Thursday through 2027, after suggesting the financial results under his leadership would keep an industry CEO in the job for life.

Infantino had no election opponent and won by acclaim instead of a formal vote by the congress of 211 member federations whose basic annual funding from FIFA has risen from $250,000 US to $2 million since his first win in 2016.

FIFA had $4 billion reserves after the World Cup in Qatar finished in December. It has conservatively forecast record revenue of at least $11 billion through the men's 2026 World Cup being hosted in North America.

"If a CEO tells the stakeholders that the products were multiplied by seven I believe that they would keep that CEO forever," Infantino told FIFA members. "They would love for this story to keep on going.

"But I am here for a four-year cycle only," said Infantino, whose presidency can eventually run for 15 years through 2031.

The Swiss lawyer was first elected in 2016 with FIFA in crisis after a sweeping United States federal investigation of corruption removed a swath of soccer officials in the Americas. The fallout also removed veteran FIFA president Sepp Blatter from office within months of being re-elected.

Under Infantino, FIFA has created new and bigger competitions — raising its income and giving national teams more chances to qualify for the men's and women's World Cups, while facing down resistance from European soccer officials.

FIFA's support for 2022 World Cup host Qatar, where Infantino moved to live in 2021, and his close ties to Saudi Arabian soccer have also caused unease among rights activists and some European member federations. That spilled over at the World Cup in a dispute over