Gianni Infantino
Swiss football administrator (born 1970)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giovanni "Gianni" Vincenzo Infantino[b] (born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss football administrator[2] and the president of FIFA since 2016. He has also been an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member since 2020.[3]
Issa Hayatou (acting)
- Switzerland
- Italy
- Lebanon[a]
Gianni Infantino | |
|---|---|
Infantino in 2026 | |
| 9th President of FIFA | |
| Assumed office 26 February 2016 | |
| Vice President | Ángel María Villar David Chung Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa |
| Preceded by | Sepp Blatter Issa Hayatou (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino 23 March 1970[1] Brig, Valais, Switzerland |
| Citizenship |
|
| Spouse | Leena Al Ashqar |
| Children | 4 |
| University of Fribourg | |
Awards | |
| Signature |  |
Following his initial election to the FIFA presidency on 26 February 2016, he was re-elected on 5 June 2019 and again on 16 March 2023.[4] His election to IOC membership took place on 10 January 2020.[5]
As president of FIFA, he oversaw the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, for which he accepted the 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 minimised controversies surrounding Qatar's human rights record.[6] 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.[7] Infantino is overseeing the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, during which he is defending the pricing out of fans out of the World Cup by stating FIFA was investing the extra revenue generated into "growth".[8]
Early life and education
Infantino was born on 23 March 1970[2] in Brig, Switzerland.[9] He is a son of Italian immigrant parents from the Italian regions of Calabria and Lombardy. He acquired Lebanese citizenship through marriage, and is therefore a citizen of Switzerland, Italy and Lebanon. [10][2] He studied law at the University of Fribourg.[11] He speaks French, German and Italian as mother tongues and also speaks Arabic, English, Portuguese and Spanish.[9]
Career
Infantino worked as the Secretary General of the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) at the University of Neuchâtel.[2][when?]
UEFA
Infantino started working with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in August 2000 and was appointed as the Director of UEFA's Legal Affairs and Club Licensing Division in January 2004. He became Deputy General Secretary of UEFA in 2007 and Secretary General of UEFA in October 2009.[2][12] During his time there, UEFA introduced Financial Fair Play and improved commercial support to smaller national associations.[12]
Infantino oversaw the expansion of UEFA Euro 2016 to 24 teams[13] and played a role in the conception of the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Euro 2020, which was intended to take place in 13 European nations before the number was reduced to 11.[14]
In 2015, the Greek government decided to introduce a new sports law in response to the recent scandal and acts of violence and corruption, mainly in Greek football. Infantino, as UEFA's general secretary, led the negotiations with the Greek government and supported the Hellenic Football Federation's warning to Greece that it faced suspension from international football for government interference.[15][16]
FIFA Presidency
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Infantino was a member of FIFA's Reform Committee.[17] On 26 October 2015, he received the backing of the UEFA Executive Committee to stand for the position of president in the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress. On the same day, he confirmed his candidacy and submitted the required declarations of support.[18] He promised to expand the FIFA World Cup to forty teams.[19]
On 26 February 2016, he was elected FIFA President for a period of three years.[20] Infantino, who holds dual Swiss and Italian citizenship through his parents, became the first Italian to hold the Presidency of FIFA.
In 2017, Infantino criticised the United States' travel ban on several Muslim-majority nations. He said, "When it comes to FIFA competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup. That is obvious."[21]
2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
In 2019, Infantino accepted the Order of Friendship medal given to him by Vladimir Putin, following the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[22][23] He described the 2018 World Cup as the "best World Cup ever".[22]
Controversies and criticism
Infantino's presidency of FIFA has been the subject of recurring criticism concerning alleged corruption, conflicts of interest, the organisation's governance, and its relationships with states accused of human rights abuses. Investigations into his personal conduct by FIFA's ethics committee and by Swiss prosecutors closed without finding a violation or bringing charges; commentators critical of Infantino have attributed those outcomes to a weakening of FIFA's oversight bodies during his tenure rather than to exoneration.[24][25]
Panama Papers
Shortly after his election in 2016, Infantino was named in documents released as part of the Panama Papers leak. The documents indicated that, while a senior legal official at UEFA, he had co-signed a television-rights contract with a company subsequently linked to defendants in the United States investigation into FIFA corruption, a relationship UEFA had previously denied. Infantino said that he was "dismayed" by the reports and stated that he had never personally dealt with the indicted parties. No charges resulted.[26]
FIFA Ethics Committee investigation (2016)
In July 2016, the investigatory chamber of FIFA's ethics committee opened an examination into whether Infantino had breached the FIFA Code of Ethics. The inquiry was reported to have concerned flights taken during the early months of his presidency, hiring practices within the president's office, and his initial refusal to sign a contract defining his employment relationship with FIFA. The chamber concluded that no violation had occurred, characterising the contractual and human-resources questions as matters of internal compliance rather than ethics. The chairman of FC Bayern Munich, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, was among figures who said that Infantino had not delivered on his pledges of transparency and good governance.[25] Infantino's acceptance of private flights and other hospitality from the hosts of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup, Russia and Qatar, also prompted questions about possible conflicts of interest; the chamber again found no violation.[24]
Removal of ethics officials (2017)
At the FIFA Congress held in Bahrain in 2017, Cornel Borbély and Hans-Joachim Eckert, the chairmen of the ethics committee's investigatory and adjudicatory chambers respectively, were not reappointed. Both described their departure as the effective end of FIFA's post-2015 reform process. According to subsequent reporting, Borbély had been examining complaints involving Infantino, among them an allegation that Infantino and the then secretary-general Fatma Samoura had sought to influence a confederation presidential election in Africa. Commentators have linked the removals, together with reported pressure on the chairman of FIFA's governance committee, Miguel Maduro, after that body objected to the FIFA Council candidacy of the Russian official Vitaly Mutko, to a broader pattern in which oversight mechanisms were weakened during Infantino's presidency.[25][27]
Meetings with the Swiss Attorney General (2016–2023)
Infantino was the subject of a prolonged affair in Switzerland concerning undisclosed meetings he held with the Attorney General of Switzerland, Michael Lauber, and the Valais prosecutor Rinaldo Arnold in 2016 and 2017, while Lauber's office was investigating corruption in international football. Lauber resigned in 2020 after a federal court found that he had breached his official duties and misled investigators about the meetings. A special prosecutor, Stefan Keller, opened criminal proceedings against Lauber, Infantino and Arnold, citing indications of abuse of public office and breach of official secrecy, and the Swiss parliament took the unprecedented step of lifting Lauber's immunity.[28] In 2021 the Federal Criminal Court removed Keller from the case after Infantino complained that public statements issued by Keller's office had demonstrated bias.[29] Two replacement prosecutors took over the case and discontinued it in October 2023 without charges; FIFA said it noted the decision "with extreme satisfaction". Throughout, Infantino denied wrongdoing, stating that he had met prosecutors in connection with cases in which FIFA held the status of an injured party.[30][31]
Relationships with political leaders
Infantino has been criticised for his association with authoritarian and populist heads of state. He accepted the Order of Friendship from the Russian president Vladimir Putin in connection with the 2018 World Cup, has maintained close relationships with the ruling families of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, travels on an aircraft provided by the state of Qatar, and developed a prominent public association with the United States president Donald Trump in the period before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Critics have argued that under his leadership FIFA has become increasingly aligned with, and financially dependent on, state actors and sovereign-wealth backers.[24][32]
Human rights
Human-rights organisations have criticised Infantino's handling of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In May 2022 Human Rights Watch published a report on the deaths and alleged mistreatment of migrant workers who had built the tournament's stadiums, and Amnesty International alleged that some had been subjected to forced labour. In an address on the eve of the tournament, Infantino said that he felt "Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled [and] like a migrant worker" and accused Western critics of hypocrisy; the remarks were widely criticised as minimising the abuses. The subsequent award of the 2034 FIFA World Cup to Saudi Arabia drew comparable objections from human-rights groups.[26][32]
Governance and patronage
Academics and former FIFA officials have advanced a structural criticism of Infantino's exercise of power. Because FIFA derives most of its income from the men's World Cup and distributes development grants and hosting rights at the president's discretion, critics have characterised the organisation as operating a system of patronage that discourages internal dissent. Joseph Weiler, a former member of FIFA's governance committee, described the arrangement as "legal bribery", while the research organisation FairSquare wrote that the president's authority rested on a model of patronage that disincentivised ethical conduct.[27]
2034 World Cup bidding process
Infantino was instrumental in the selection of Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup. FIFA required its members to decide the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 tournaments at a single meeting and limited the eligibility for 2034, with the result that Saudi Arabia stood as the only bidder. The process was criticised by human-rights organisations and figures within football, and commentators noted that it coincided with Saudi-linked financing of FIFA's expanded Club World Cup.[32][24]
Michel Platini complaint (2026)
In June 2026, the former UEFA president Michel Platini filed a criminal complaint in France against FIFA and Infantino, alleging that Infantino had orchestrated a campaign of false accusation and influence-peddling to prevent Platini from succeeding Sepp Blatter as FIFA president and thereby facilitate his own election in 2016. Platini, whose FIFA ethics ban was reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and who was acquitted of related criminal charges by a Swiss court in 2022, also announced a civil claim for damages. FIFA denied wrongdoing, and the allegations remained untested in court.[33]
Compensation and self-promotion
Infantino's remuneration has attracted criticism in view of FIFA's status as a non-profit organisation; his total annual compensation has been reported at approximately US$6 million, having risen by about a third in 2023, and leaked United States tax documents reported by Le Monde in 2026 detailed his earnings since taking office. In 2024 FIFA decided that Infantino's name would be engraved on the trophy of the inaugural expanded Club World Cup, together with an inscription crediting him with the competition. At the FIFA Congress in Asunción in May 2025, Infantino arrived approximately two hours late after meeting Donald Trump in the Middle East, prompting UEFA's delegation to leave the meeting in protest.[24][34]
Women's rights
In Iran, after the 1979 Islamic revolution, women were banned from stadiums when men's teams were playing.[35] Infantino repeatedly warned Iranian football federation and Islamic Republic of Iran authorities about Iranian women's rights.[36] On 8 September 2019, Sahar Khodayari self-immolated after being arrested for trying to enter a stadium.[37]
Our position is clear and firm. Women have to be allowed into football stadiums in Iran. Now is the moment to change things.[38] Infantino, September 2019
Following that incident, FIFA assured Iranian women that they would be able to attend stadiums starting from October 2019.[37] On 10 October 2019, more than 3,500 women attended the Azadi Stadium for a World Cup qualifier against Cambodia.[39]
2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
With the holding of the World Cup in Qatar, the issue of migrant workers' rights attracted attention. Qatar has been accused of unpaid wages, imposing excessive working hours, illegal recruitment and the deaths of workers who helped build Qatar stadiums.[40] When questioned about abuses suffered by migrant workers involved in preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Infantino said that migrant workers were given work and pay and were proud to contribute to constructing the stadiums.[41] The tournament has been condemned by human rights group Amnesty International, which has alleged that workers were subject to forced labour.[42] On 19 November 2022, just before the World Cup began, Gianni Infantino stated that he “felt Qatari, Arab, African, gay, disabled, and like a migrant worker”.[43]
Infantino also charged Western countries with "hypocrisy" for criticising Qatar on moral grounds.[44] In an hour-long monologue, he told reporters: "What we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons."[45]
Infantino also used the speech to accuse Western companies operating in Qatar of hypocrisy for profiting from doing business in the country without discussing the rights of migrant workers with Qatari authorities.[46] Norwegian national team coach Ståle Solbakken responded to Infantino's outburst by saying that Infantino is not fit to teach anyone about morals and ethics and that he is neither a great sports leader nor a great historian.[47]
2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia
On 31 October 2023, Infantino announced that Saudi Arabia would host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. FIFA restricted the hosting eligibility to Asia or Oceania after it made the decision to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup on three continents (Africa, Europe and South America) alongside the restriction of North America following the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This paved the way for Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup by substantially reducing opportunities for competing host bids.[48]
Infantino has a documented relationship with the Saudi regime.[7] He has frequently promoted Saudi sporting events on social media and has frequently been photographed alongside Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman. He engaged in private diplomacy on Saudi Arabia's behalf, as he explored whether Greece and Egypt would be willing to partner with Saudi Arabia to host the 2030 World Cup. When Spain, Portugal and Morocco announced that they would bid together for the 2030 World Cup, it was considered unlikely that the bid could be beaten. For this reason, Saudi Arabia backed out of bidding for 2030.
In October 2023, FIFA announced that the first three games of the 2030 FIFA World Cup would be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, with the rest to be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.[49] This ruled out European, African and South American nations from bidding to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, allowing only Asian or Oceanian bids. FIFA also unexpectedly sped up the bidding process for the World Cup, giving only 25 days for interested nations to express their intent to host. Within minutes, Saudi Arabia announced a bid; within hours, the head of the Asian Football Confederation supported that bid.[7] Infantino had also urged the AFC to fully support and unite around the Saudi bid, discouraging other AFC members from submitting their own bids.[50]
FIFA Club World Cup
In 2024, FIFA decided, with Infantino's approval, that Infantino's name would be engraved on the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup trophy. The trophy also included the following passage: "We are witness to a new age. The golden era of club football: the era of the FIFA Club World Cup. The pinnacle of all club competitions. Inspired by the FIFA president Gianni Infantino."[51]
Even after the expansion to 32 teams, FIFA and Infantino have already considered a further expansion to 48 teams for the Club World Cup, with the tournament being played biannually.[52]
75th FIFA Congress
During the 75th FIFA Congress on 15 May 2025 in Asunción, Infantino arrived two hours late to the meeting as a result of meeting with the President of the United States Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. As a result, UEFA leaders all walked out in protest and accused Infantino of prioritising political interests over football.[53]
FIFA World Cup scheduling
During the European Football Clubs general assembly on 9 October 2025, Infantino reportedly told the delegates to "keep an open mind" about scheduling the FIFA World Cup, which has traditionally been held during European summer during June to August, to winter months stating that limiting the tournament's scheduling would prevent the globalisation of football as the current scheduling is too hot to play in some countries.[54]
FIFA Peace Prize
In November 2025, Infantino introduced the FIFA Peace Prize, with U.S. President Donald Trump set to receive the inaugural award in Washington, D.C. in December 2025.[55][56] The award and its recipient drew criticism, given that Trump had "aggressively campaigned for and carped about" not being awarded that year's Nobel Peace Prize. Both the timing and the optics were remarked upon, and "fueled questions about the blurring of sport and diplomacy".[57]
Carbon footprint and sustainability during World Cup 2026
Environmental organizations have raised concerns regarding the carbon footprint of the 2026 World Cup, with specific criticism directed at the extensive private air travel of Infantino. During the first week of the tournament, Infantino traveled via a Qatar Airways private jet to attend ten matches in seven days across multiple host cities, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Kansas City, and Houston. Infantino's flight records had previously drawn scrutiny in September 2024, when the investigative publication Josimar reported that he had accumulated approximately 600,000 kilometers of private flights over the preceding three years. The format of the 2026 World Cup, which expanded to 48 teams across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, increased the total number of matches from 64 to 104, necessitating greater geographic travel. The carbon accounting firm Greenly estimated that if Infantino maintains his pace of traveling to multiple cities per day through the end of the tournament, his private plane usage alone will generate between 300 and 500 tons of CO2 emissions. [58]
FIFA ethics investigations
In July 2016, Infantino was interviewed by the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee on suspicion of breaches of the FIFA code of ethics.[59]
The investigation was focused on three issues: "several flights taken by Mr Infantino during the first months of his presidency, human resources matters related to hiring processes in the president's office, and Mr Infantino's refusal to sign the contract specifying his employment relationship with FIFA".[60]
Although a document was leaked describing illegitimate spending of funds by FIFA,[59] the body's expenses and governance were not investigated.[60] The document alleged that Infantino had billed FIFA for personal expenses, including £8,795 for mattresses at his home, £6,829 for a stepper exercise machine, £1,086 for a tuxedo, £677 on flowers and £132 on personal laundry. In addition, Infantino demanded that FIFA hire an external driver for his family and advisors while he was away.[59]
When Infantino accepted special treatment by the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts (Russia and Qatar, respectively), the potential for a conflict of interest was raised. The hosts had organised private jets for Infantino and his staff related to visits in Russia and Qatar.[59] The investigatory chamber was of the opinion that no violation had occurred. In addition, the chamber found that "human resources matters, as well as Mr. Infantino's conduct with regard to his contract with FIFA, if at all, constituted internal compliance issues rather than an ethical matter."[60]
While the investigatory chamber discharged Infantino, criticism of his conduct continued. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of FC Bayern Munich, criticised Infantino for not fulfilling his promises regarding transparency, democracy and governance. "So far this has not succeeded in my eyes," he complained.[61]
In July 2020, further allegations arose when Infantino was accused of having a secret meeting with Michael Lauber, the Attorney General of Switzerland. Lauber offered to resign after a court ruled that he had covered up the meeting and lied to supervisors during an investigation by his office into corruption surrounding FIFA. Infantino defended himself, claiming, "to meet with the attorney general of Switzerland is perfectly legitimate and it's perfectly legal. It's no violation of anything."[62]
Personal life
Infantino is married to Leena Al Ashqar from Lebanon; the couple has four children.[9]
Since October 2021, he has also spent time in Doha, Qatar, where he rents a house and where two of his children attend school.[63] Some, including former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, have speculated on Infantino's intention to move the FIFA headquarters away from Zürich.[63] Infantino confirmed that his official residency remains in Canton Zürich, explaining that organising the World Cup in Qatar necessitated his presence there.[64] He moved his official residency to Zug, Switzerland in June 2022.[65]
On 25 November 2025, Infantino began the process of obtaining Lebanese citizenship, following a meeting with the president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, and the Lebanese Football Association president, Hachem Haidar.[66] He became a Lebanese citizen on 16 February 2026.[67]
The granting of Lebanese citizenship caused public debate. Under Lebanese law, women are generally prohibited from passing their nationality to their foreign husbands and children, making Infantino's case an exceptional dispensation by the Lebanese president.[68]
Awards
Honours
Congo: Commander Congolese Order of Merit (2019)[69]
Indonesia: First Class of the Order of the Star of Service (2023)[70]
Kosovo: Presidential Medal of Merits (2025)[71]
Mongolia: Friendship Medal (2026)[72]
Niger: Commander of the Order of Merit of Niger (2017)[73]
Russia: Medal of the Order of Friendship (2018)[74]
Uzbekistan: Medal of the Order of Doʻstlik (2025)[75]
Distinctions
- Asian Football Confederation Diamond of Asia (2023)[76]
