Gianni Infantino
Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni vinˈtʃɛntso ˈdʒanni iɱfanˈtiːno]; born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss football administrator and the president of FIFA since February 2016. He was re-elected in June 2019 and in March 2023. In January 2020, he was also elected a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Gianni Infantino | |
|---|---|
Infantino in 2019 | |
| 9th President of FIFA | |
| Assumed office 26 February 2016 | |
| Vice President | Ángel María Villar David Chung Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa |
| Preceded by | Issa Hayatou (acting) Sepp Blatter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino 23 March 1970 Brig, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss, Italian |
| Spouse | Leena Al Ashqar |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | University of Fribourg |
| Awards | Order of Friendship Star of Service |
| Signature | |
As President of FIFA, he oversaw the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, which he described as "the best World Cup ever" and for which he accepted Order of Friendship medal given to him by Vladimir Putin. He oversaw the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar during which time he defended or minimized controversies surrounding Qatar's human rights record, again describing it as "the best World Cup ever." He played a key role in the selection of Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, as he advocated for a Saudi bid and restricted the hosting eligibility, which reduced the number of potential competing bids.