Infantino wins

It was such a tight contest that the winner of the race for Fifa presidency Gianni Infantino emerged triumphant after a second round of voting and with a simple majority in Zurich, Switzerland last evening.

In the polls monitored on Skysports TV channel, the Uefa secretary general polled 115 votes in round two, 27 more than closest rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa.

Prince Ali bin al-Hussein was third with four, while Jerome Champagne failed to get any. Tokyo Sexwale withdrew before voting began in Zurich.

Relief was the prevalent emotion for the Swiss when he was declared the winner, and with his voice straining with emotion, he said: “I cannot express my feelings in this moment.

“I accept the result of this election, thank you. I went through an exceptional journey, which made me meet many fantastic people, who live and breathe football, and many people deserve to see [that] Fifa is highly respected. Everyone in the world will applaud us for what we will do. Everyone will be proud of what we will do.”

And it could not have been sweeter for the Swiss than winning in his country where the world football governing body’s headquarters are based.

He told delegates that together they would “restore the image of Fifa and the respect of Fifa. I want to work with all of you together in order to restore and rebuild a new era of Fifa where we can put again football at the centre of the stage.

“Fifa has gone through sad times, moments of crisis, but those times are over. We need to implement the reform and implement good governance and transparency. We also need to have respect.

“We’re going to win back this respect through hard work, commitment and we’re going to make sure we can finally focus on this wonderful game.”

Infantino has succeeded compatriot Joseph Sepp Blatter who resigned amid a corruption scandal last year. He will serve until 2019.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu, who was one of the delegates at the extraordinary congress, congratulated the new Fifa boss.

“The best candidate has won. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the new president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino.

“We are committed to support his leadership and embrace the reform agenda which has been adopted today. It is a new era, a new beginning and a new chapter in the history of football.

“The past is behind us and we look into the future with optimisim to correct all the wrongs and restore the lost image of football. It’s now time for football to bounce back,” said Nyamilandu in an interview from Zurich through WhatsApp.

However, the FAM president still kept a tight lid on who he voted for, saying: “My vote still remains a secret. All I can say is that I am not disappointed with the outcome. It’s the best for football and the world at large. God has answered our prayers.”

FAM was one of the CAF affiliates which turned its back on the continental body’s instruction to vote for Al-Khalifa, saying they would make an independent decision.

The first round of voting had failed to determine an outright winner.

A simple majority of more than 50 per cent—104 votes—was sufficient for victory in the second round.

Infantino is a 45-year-old lawyer from Brig in the Valais region of Switzerland, less than six miles from Blatter’s hometown of Visp.

Meanwhile, Nyamilandu has said following a raft in reforms passed by the world governing body earlier on, which include limiting the presidential terms to three, FAM will have to revise its statutes to comply with the standing requirement.

“The reforms have to be embraced and adopted by all member associations.

“The term limits will, therefore, apply to FAM as well,” he said.

The reforms are aimed at recovering from a corruption crisis.

Among other things, it was resolved that a new council will replace the current executive committee, featuring a female representative from each confederation.

The reforms, announced at an extraordinary congress in Zurich, also include the disclosure of salaries.

The reforms were supported by 179 of the 207 member associations present and eligible to vote.

They were based on proposals made by the 2016 Fifa Reform Committee and the subsequent recommendations put before the Congress by the Executive Committee in the form of draft Fifa Statutes.

They represent an essential step towards the modernisation of Fifa’s institutional culture in key areas such as the clear separation of political and management functions, term limits, the disclosure of individual compensation, greater recognition and promotion of women in football and a commitment to enshrining human rights in the Fifa Statutes.n­­