Expansion, reform and controversy - 10 years of Infantino as Fifa president
February 25, 2026 at 09:42 AM
By BBC Sport
Gianni Infantino has clashed with players' unions and European football, but remains in an impregnable position at Fifa.
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Gianni Infantino has clashed with players' unions and European football, but remains in an impregnable position at Fifa Gianni Infantino has clashed with players' unions and European football, but remains in an impregnable position at Fifa. Monitor developments in Expansion, for further updates.
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Gianni Infantino has clashed with players' unions and European football, but remains in an impregnab
Gianni Infantino has clashed with players' unions and European football, but remains in an impregnable position at Fifa.
Expansion, reform and controversy - 10 years of Infantino as Fifa presidentImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Gianni Infantino celebrates 10 years as Fifa president on 26 FebruaryByDale JohnsonFootball issues correspondentPublished18 minutes agoIt is 10 years since Gianni Infantino was elected Fifa president, with a remit to rescue football's world governing body.The decade since has been one of reform, expansion and, more recently, controversy.Infantino was installed with Fifa engulfed by claims of widespread corruption and after predecessor Sepp Blatter had resigned.Fifa's finances were in a desperate state. There was a reported $550m (£392m) black hole, external after sponsors walked away.In Infantino, the game felt it had found a safe pair of hands."I will work tirelessly to bring football back to Fifa, and Fifa back to football," Infantino said.Ten years on, there can be no doubt the governing body is in rude health. It expects to report record revenues, external of $13bn (£9.6bn) for the three-year cycle through to the end of this year.But those figures only tell part of the story.They are boosted by the controversial Club World Cup, and the biggest-ever World Cup with its high ticket prices.Infantino has clashed with players' unions and European football, but he remains in an impregnable position at the top of the world game.This is the story of his presidency and his legacy.'A new day, a new dawn'Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Infantino was the man who made the Champions League draw before taking the game's top jobIt is easy to forget Blatter's successor as Fifa president was supposed to be Michel Platini.But after Platini was drawn into the scandal at the organisation - both he and Blatter were later fully cleared of corruption charges - Infantino was thrust forward as Uefa's preferred candidate.As the general secretary of European football's governing body, Infantino had been the right-hand man of president Platini for seven years.But he was an unlikely saviour - a man who was rarely in the consciousness of the average football fan. To many he was just the guy who presented Champions League draws. Ten years on, you would be hard pressed to find a football fan who does not recognise him.Turning Fifa around was no small task. The US Department of Justice had indicted a large number of top executives and it needed root-and-branch reform.Two pages of Infantino's manifesto were devoted to more than doubling development money for member associations. That would be for new competitions, for infrastructure, and even to cover travel costs for smaller nations.Expanding the World Cup was also included, though to 40 teams. Within a year it had been rubberstamped as a 48-team tournament.The election was a close-run thing.In the first round of votes, Infantino led Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa - president of the Asian confederation - by 88 votes to 85.Infantino only moved clear when the 34 votes originally cast for Jordan's Prince Ali bin al-Hussein and French executive Jerome Champagne were reallocated. The final score was 115 votes to 88."This is a new day, a new dawn," said then Football Association chairman Greg Dyke, welcoming Infantino's win. "He is not a politician and he is not an ego."Infantino, meanwhile, declared he would "restore the image of Fifa"."It's your money, not the money of the Fifa president," Infantino told delegates. "The money of Fifa has to be used to develop football."Infantino was true to his word. But to make more money, Fifa had to be creative.Infantino takes centre stage over QatarImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Infantino made headlines with his speech before the 2022 World Cup in QatarThe controversial World Cups of 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar were waiting in Infantino's in-tray.Voting for the tournaments had been shrouded in controversy with claims of collusion and deals, but the deeds were already done.In his early years as president, Infantino kept a fairly low profile. It was only when the World Cup rolled into Qatar that he started to become a more public figure.Under pressure amid repeated criticisms about workers' rights and claims of modern slavery in the country, Infantino hit back.He first called out "hypocrisy" and "racism" about Qatar in the European media, then made his infamous speech about discrimination. "Today I feel Qatari," he said. "Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel like a migrant worker."At every game he attended, TV cameras appeared to pick him out in the crowd. And there was a reason. Reports, which Fifa declined to comment on, suggested television directors were advised that Infantino should be shown at least once each game, but not if he was on his phone., externalFifa accused of breaching own rules with Trump awardPublished9 December 2025Trump and Infantino - too close for comfort?P
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