Twenty-seven years ago, 18-year old Gianni Infantino of Brig, Switzerland, won election to the presidency of the local soccer team by promising to have his mother wash the team uniforms. Yesterday, the now 45-year old Infantino won a much bigger soccer election: for the presidency of FIFA.
As reported by Sam Borden in the New York Times, Infantino, the secretary general of UEFA since 2009, garnered 115 votes on the second ballot and now has the tough task of replacing the suspended Sepp Blatter, and turning around the pervasive scandals that have plagued the governing body of world soccer. After the first ballot Infantino had a three vote lead and Sunil Gulati of U.S. Soccer, who had supported Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, switched the U.S. vote to Infantino and lobbied other CONCACAF nations to do likewise.
"A new era has started as we speak," Infantino said after the vote. One can only hope. Best of luck!
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