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Wed 03 November 2021 | 17:30

Top Facts about Gianni Infantino,the Always Smiling President of FIFA

Giovanni Vincenzo "Gianni" Infantino is the current president of FIFA and a Swiss–Italian football executive. On February 26, 2016, he was elected President of FIFA during the FIFA Extraordinary Congress.

On June 5, 2019, he was re-elected as FIFA President. He was elected to the International Olympic Committee on January 10, 2020. The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be held in three countries, with 48 national teams competing instead of the customary 32. These, as well as other modifications, have been implemented by FIFA's new President. Let’s take a look at the top facts about Gianni Infantino.

Top Facts About Gianni Infantino You Might Want to Know

He is born in Brigue (Canton Valais) in 1970, he is FIFA's ninth president. Gianni Infantino, whose sporting career began with the establishment of the International Center for the Study of Sport, is of Italian descent, as seen by his surname. His father came to Brig from the Italian city of Reggio Calabria and worked in commerce.

Gianni is a lawyer by trade, speaks six languages, and holds dual citizenship. Gianni Infantino obtained his law degree from the University of Friborg. The Infantino family did not have enough money to pay for Gianni's university degree, so he had to work as a railroad conductor to make ends meet.

Infantino worked at the International Center while also serving as an adviser to a number of European football leagues. He first arrived at UEF in 2000 and worked with financial, commercial, and legal issues, as well as the topic of professional football.

He was in charge of licensing clubs in early 2004, then Deputy Secretary-General of UEFA, and finally, in 2009, FIFA's president was the leader of this organization. Gianni has been a member of the FIFA reform committee since 2015. Let's continue to read the

Top Facts about Gianni Infantino.

Gianni Infantino Early Life

Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino is his full name. He is also known as "Gianni." Infantino was born on March 23, 1970, in the Brig area of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. He was born to Vincenzo Infantino, an Italian businessman, and Maria Minolfi, his mother (an Italian housekeeper).

Infantino hails from a family of migrant workers. He was born in Switzerland to Italian immigrants from Calabria (where his father began his immigrant adventure) and Lombardy (where his mother began her migration journey).

Despite Vincenzo Infantino's efforts to develop a stable business in their new home, little Infantino's early upbringing was plagued by a lack of funds. Stay tuned to read Top Facts about Gianni Infantino.

Gianni Infantino Education

Gianni Infantino's parents were able to support his primary and secondary education despite his family's financial hardships. Young Infantino was a hard worker in school who kept his options open when it came to choosing a job.

One of the many options provided by schooling was participation in youth sports, which Infantino took advantage of by playing soccer part-time. He had no intention of enrolling in a football academy. Infantino's family believes that education is more important than football. Follow us to learn more about the top facts about Gianni Infantino.

Gianni Infantino Information

Now that we know him much better, it is time for us to share some general information about him in this section of top facts about Gianni Infantino such as

Gianni Infantino Date of Birth. 

  • Full Name:

    Giovanni Vincenzo "Gianni" Infantino

  • Birth Date:

    23 March 1970

  • Age

    : 51 Years Old

  • Birth Place:

    Brig, Switzerland

  • Nick Name

    : Gianni

  • Religion

    : Christianity

  • Gianni Infantino Nationality:

    Swiss-Italian

  • Ethnicity

    : Swiss-Italian

  • Education

    : N/A

  • Gianni Infantino Horoscope:

    Aries

  • Father’s Name:

    Vincenzo Infantino

  • Mother’s Name:

    Maria Mainolfi

  • Siblings

    : N/A

  • Weight

    : N/A

  • Hair Color:

    Blonde

  • Eye Color:

    Black

  • Marital status:

    Married

  • Wife

    : Leena Al Ashqar

  • Children

    : Shania Serena Infantino, Sabrina Infantino, Alessia Infantino, Dhalia Nora Infantino

  • Profession

    : FIFA president

Stay tuned to read

Top Facts about Gianni Infantino

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Gianni Infantino and FIFA Presidency

Infantino lost no time after graduating from university in connecting with his childhood passion. He worked as a Legal Adviser in National Soccer Organizations around Europe as a result of his legal degree.

When he joined the UEFA machinery in 2000, fame knocked on his door. After two years as a deputy, he was promoted to General Secretary in October 2009. Infantino got UEFA Executive Committee approval in 2015 to represent his predecessor, Sepp Blatter, at the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress.

The pivotal moment came when he sat in for his boss. Infantino took advantage of the situation to announce his presidential bid, which he won amazingly. Infantino became the first Italian to occupy the FIFA presidency on February 26th, 2016.

Gianni Infantino’s Wife, Who is She?

Infantino's previous relationship history is unknown to online sources. However, there are snippets of how the Swiss-Italian met his life partner, a Lebanese woman named Leena Al Ashqar.

In the early 2000s, Infantino met and fell in love with Leena when she was performing her professional duties at the Lebanese Football Federation. Because they share a common interest in football, the two loves hit it off right away. Alessia, Sabrina, Serena, and Dhalia are the four daughters of the marriage. Let's continue to read the Top Facts about Gianni Infantino.

Gianni Infantino’s Career

Infantino's career has always revolved around soccer. As a legal counsel, he began working for national soccer organizations in Europe. He was named Secretary-General of the International Center for Sports Studies in Switzerland in the late 1990s.

Infantino joined the UEFA organization around the turn of the century, eventually rising to become UEFA's Deputy General Secretary in 2007. Infantino was the Secretary-General of UEFA in October 2009.

FIFA was embroiled in a corruption controversy in the summer of 2015. Several high-ranking bureaucrats were arrested prior to the organization's presidential elections; according to the investigation premise, they may have taken bribes from countries wishing to host future tournaments.

As a result, FIFA had to hold a special election after Joseph Blatter resigned following the elections. The FIFA reform committee was established at the conclusion of the summer of 2015. One of its members was Gianni Infantino.

Michel Platini was the first UEFA candidate, however, an investigation revealed that he may be linked to corruption-related offenses, prompting Platini to withdraw his campaign. In these conditions, UEFA recommended Infantino, who made global improvements in FIFA's functioning the cornerstone of his re-election campaign.

First and foremost, he proposed that the FIFA president's term be limited to 12 years for the same person. Infantino then proposed increasing the number of national teams that might compete in the championship to 40.

The final innovation concerned the sports grounds where the World Cup would be held: rather than a single country, it should be an area encompassing multiple countries. The fourth step was to introduce more modern technologies to aid in the administration of justice.

Infantino also offered to raise donations to continental soccer confederations that desired to grow. There was even a sense of romanticism: it was suggested that a squad comprised of FIFA luminaries be formed. The FIFA stars' team might play charity matches to bring in new supporters.

Infantino received the majority of the votes. Gianni Infantino was chosen by 115 out of 207 voters at the end of February 2016. Many improvements have been adopted during Infantino's president, most notably the video replays that are designed to assist referees.

FIFA's main goal now is to reduce the amount of time spent organizing and evaluating pieces. The hosts are the focus of the second innovation: Mexico, the United States, and Canada will host the 2026 World Cup.

The group stage will include 16, not 8, sections, with three teams competing for a place in the play-offs. In 2017, Infantino had to deal with the fallout from Messi's four-game suspension.

Following the altercation with the referee's assistance, the Argentinian player was sanctioned. Infantino was asked by

Diego Maradona

to handle the situation. Messi was afterward dubbed "the amazing player" by FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

During the Russian doping issue, the bureaucrat stood firm: he stated that the International Olympic Committee's activities and conclusions had no bearing on Russia's participation in the FIFA World Cup because FIFA has its own reliable and independent process of testing players for doping. Infantino is a staunch supporter of Russia. He underlined the country's outstanding level of organization following the FIFA Confederations Cup.

He was pleased with the activity of the volunteers and audience, as well as the lack of racial discrimination and hooliganism. The innovative video replay system was put to the test at this competition. Follow us to learn more about the

top facts about Gianni Infantino

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Gianni Infantino Net Worth & Salary

Gianni Infantino has always kept a low profile when it comes to his personal finances. When he signed a contract in 2016, he received a much-publicized salary of 1.5 million Swiss francs ($1.53 million) with no incentive, attempting to end a distracting issue of his first six months in office.

Also, he received a chauffeured automobile, his housing paid, and monthly expenditures of 2,000 Swiss francs ($2,040). In 2017, his bonus would be qualified under a new compensation scheme being drafted by FIFA.

He resigned from FIFA in 2019 but did not reveal the terms of his contract or salary. Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, is expected to earn $3 million in 2020. Stay tuned to read Top Facts about Gianni Infantino.

Quick Facts About Gianni Infantino

1.

Gianni Infantino has advocated increasing the number of teams in the World Cup from 32 to 40.

2.

In February 2016, Gianni Infantino took over as FIFA President after Sepp Blatter was driven out due to financial irregularities, which was part of a larger scandal that saw FIFA executives charged by American authorities.

3.

Gianni Infantino feels that Russia 2018 will serve as a model for Qatar in the 2022 World Cup.

4.

Gianni Infantino was the only candidate to receive nomination letters from five FIFA member federations, which was a requirement.

5.

Gianni Infantino is a supporter of Inter Milan, an Italian Serie A club.

. In July 2016, Gianni Infantino was suspected of breaking the FIFA code of ethics and was interviewed by the FIFA Ethics Committee's investigatory chamber.

7.

Gianni Infantino slammed the United States' visa ban on seven Muslim-majority countries in 2017.

8.

Gianni Infantino was the Secretary-General of the University of Neuchatel's International Center for Sports Studies.

9.

For the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, Gianni Infantino has overseen the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, as well as investments in women's football and the installation of VAR.

10. 

Gianni Infantino was a driving influence for holding the European Championships in different countries in 2020.

Gianni Infantino and FIFA Ethics Investigations

Infantino was examined by the FIFA Ethics Committee's investigatory chamber in July 2016 after it was alleged that he had infringed the FIFA code of ethics. "Several flights taken by Mr. Infantino during the initial months of his presidency, human resources matters linked to recruiting processes in the president's office, and Mr. Infantino's unwillingness to sign the contract detailing his work connection with FIFA," according to the probe.

Despite the fact that a document revealing FIFA's illicit spending of cash was released, the issue of expenses and governance was not probed. Infantino billed FIFA for personal costs including £8,795 for mattresses at his house, £6,829 for a stepper exercise equipment, £1,086 for a tuxedo, £677 for flowers, and £132 for personal laundry, according to the document. In addition, while he was gone, he charged the FIFA regulating body for an external driver for his family and advisors.

The topic of a potential conflict of interest was raised when Infantino accepted special treatment from the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts, Russia and Qatar. The hosts had arranged for Infantino and his entourage to go by private jet to Russia and the Gulf state. 

The investigatory chamber concluded that there had been no breach. Furthermore, the chamber determined that "human resources difficulties, as well as Mr. Infantino's conduct with respect to his contract with FIFA, if at all, represented internal compliance issues rather than an ethical matter."

Infantino was discharged by the investigatory chamber, but that did not stop the criticism. Infantino has been chastised by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of FC Bayern München, for failing to deliver on his promises of transparency, democracy, and governance. "So far this has not succeeded in my eyes," he complained. Further charges surfaced in July 2020, when Infantino was accused of holding a secret meeting with Switzerland's Attorney General, Michael Lauber.

After a court found that he covered up the meeting and lied to supervisors during his office's probe into FIFA corruption, Lauber volunteered to resign. Infantino reacted to the accusation by saying that he was innocent "Meeting with Switzerland's attorney general is absolutely acceptable and legal. It's not a crime in any way.”

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source: SportMob



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