"account. FIFA commissioned former United States Attorney Michael J. Garcia to investigate and report on the bidding processes behind the awarding of the 2018 FIFA World Cup to Russia and the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar. In November 2014, FIFA made a copy of Garcia's report available to the Attorney General of Switzerland, who then stated that there were ""grounds for suspicion that, in isolated cases, international transfers of assets with connections to Switzerland took place which merit examination by the criminal prosecution authorities"". Sepp Blatter had been president of FIFA since 1998 (until his removal in December 2015)."
"eyes,"" he complained. Infantino is married to Lebanese Leena Al Ashqar; the couple have four children (Alessia, Sabrina, Shanïa Serena and Dhalia Nora). He is a fan of the Italian Serie A club Inter Milan. Gianni Infantino Giovanni Vincenzo ""Gianni"" Infantino (; born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss–Italian football administrator and the current president of FIFA. He was elected President of FIFA during the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress on 26 February 2016. Gianni Infantino was born on 23 March 1970 in Brig, Switzerland. He is a son of Italian immigrant parents from Calabria and Lombardy. He studied law at"
"Gianni Infantino Giovanni Vincenzo ""Gianni"" Infantino (; born 23 March 1970) is a Swiss–Italian football administrator and the current president of FIFA. He was elected President of FIFA during the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress on 26 February 2016. Gianni Infantino was born on 23 March 1970 in Brig, Switzerland. He is a son of Italian immigrant parents from Calabria and Lombardy. He studied law at the University of Fribourg. He is fluent in Italian, English, French, and German. Infantino also knows Spanish, and Arabic. Infantino worked as the Secretary General of the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES) at the"
"divorce in 2004. Since 2014, he is in a domestic partnership with Linda Barras. Blatter was raised as a Catholic. Sepp Blatter Joseph ""Sepp"" Blatter (born 10 March 1936) is a Swiss football administrator who was the eighth President of the FIFA (French: ""Fédération Internationale de Football Association"") from 1998 to 2015. He is currently serving a six-year ban from participating in FIFA activities. From a background in business, public relations, and sports administration, Blatter became general secretary of FIFA in 1981 and was then elected president at the 51st FIFA Congress on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange, who"
"his candidacy and submitted the required declarations of support. He promised to expand the FIFA World Cup to forty teams. On 26 February 2016, he was elected FIFA President for a period of three years. Swiss man Infantino holds dual citizenship through his parents. With his election, he became the first Italian to hold the Presidency of FIFA. In 2017, Infantino criticized 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"
"Sepp Blatter Joseph ""Sepp"" Blatter (born 10 March 1936) is a Swiss football administrator who was the eighth President of the FIFA (French: ""Fédération Internationale de Football Association"") from 1998 to 2015. He is currently serving a six-year ban from participating in FIFA activities. From a background in business, public relations, and sports administration, Blatter became general secretary of FIFA in 1981 and was then elected president at the 51st FIFA Congress on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange, who had headed the organization since 1974. Blatter was reelected in 2002, 2007, 2011, and 2015. Like his predecessor Havelange, Blatter"
"of the magnitude and importance of such a distinguished job"". In the 2011 elections, incumbent Sepp Blatter, who has been FIFA president for 13 years, won a mandate for another 4-year term, by a margin of 172 votes to 17, with 17 abstaining. On 2 June 2015, Sepp Blatter resigned as president of FIFA in the wake of corruption indictments of FIFA officials. ChangeFIFA ChangeFIFA was a campaign organisation, established in 2010 with the stated aim of making FIFA, the ruling body of world soccer, more ""fair and accountable"". The organisation was created in June 2010 by English fan Oliver"
"said that he would not be a candidate for election at that time. Blatter maintained ""I did not resign, I put myself and my office in the hands of the FIFA congress."" Upon the decision of the FIFA Adjudicatory Chamber of the Independent Ethics Committee to provisionally ban Blatter, FIFA recognizes Issa Hayatou as the interim president of FIFA in accordance with article 32 (6) of the FIFA Statutes. On 10 June 2015, FIFA announced that they would be delaying the 2026 FIFA World Cup bidding process, amidst allegations surrounding bribery in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes."
"him from taking part in any FIFA activities over the following eight years. On 24 February 2016, a FIFA appeals committee upheld the suspension but reduced it from eight years to six. Issa Hayatou served as the acting President of FIFA until an extraordinary FIFA Congress was held in late February, electing Gianni Infantino as the 9th president of FIFA. Blatter was born in Visp in the Swiss canton of Valais with the given name of ""Josef"". He studied in Saint Maurice, before getting a degree in business and economics from the University of Lausanne in 1959. Blatter has had"
"Issa Hayatou Issa Hayatou (born 9 August 1946) is a Cameroonian former athlete and sports executive. He served as the acting FIFA president until 26 February 2016 as the previous president, Sepp Blatter, was banned from all football-related activities in 2015 as a part of the FIFA corruption investigation of 2015. He was the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) between 1988 and 2017. In 2002, he ran for president of FIFA but was defeated by Blatter. He is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In November 2010 he was alleged by the BBC to"
"FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the """" (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champion is France, which won its second title at the 2018 tournament in Russia. The current format of the competition involves a qualification phase, which currently takes place over the"
"the 2015 FIFA corruption case, Valdez became interim President. First Vice President Rafael Esquivel had already been arrested in May and second Vice President Sergio Jadue had entered into a guilty plea with United States prosecutors the day before Valdez his appointment. Valdez's term as interim President ended on 26 January 2016, when a CONMEBOL congress was convened to elect new officials. His successor was Alejandro Domínguez. Valdez is married and has two children. Wilmar Valdez Wilmar Valdez (born 10 July 1965) is a Uruguayan football executive who served as interim President of CONMEBOL between 11 December 2015 and 26"
"previously headed FIFA's Olympic committee from 1992 to 2006. At the time of his appointment, Hayatou was still under investigation for alleged bribery. It was later denied by FIFA that Hayatou had been appointed President of the Olympic committee, his apparent appointment was described as ""a technical error"". On 3 November 2007, Hayatou was awarded an honorary degree from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Nigeria. Issa Hayatou Issa Hayatou (born 9 August 1946) is a Cameroonian former athlete and sports executive. He served as the acting FIFA president until 26 February 2016 as the previous president,"
"FIFA does not know for certain what the league system overseen by the PRKFA is like and what teams play in it. As of 2010, FIFA's website and the AFC's website list Mun Jae Chol () as the association's president; he is also mentioned as such in a report published in November 2008. Earlier presidents apparently include Choe Nam Gyun (), listed on the FIFA website from July 2007 until at least July 2008, and in an overview of leading positions in the state (as of ?2009) on the website ""DPRK Search"", with “September 2006” in brackets behind his name,"
"Havelange in his honor for his important contributions. João Havelange Jean-Marie Faustin Godefroid ""João"" de Havelange (; 8 May 1916 – 16 August 2016) was a Brazilian lawyer, businessman, athlete and centenarian who served as the seventh President of FIFA from 1974 to 1998. His tenure as President is the second longest in FIFA's history, behind only that of Jules Rimet. He received the title of Honorary President when leaving office, but resigned in April 2013. He succeeded Stanley Rous and was succeeded by Sepp Blatter. João Havelange served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1963"
"structure, and more power. It is led by the President of FIFA. It has also been announced that the Secretary General will now report to the council, and will work with a Chief Compliance Officer, who monitors the organisation in their work. All existing members of the committee remained in role until their respective positions faced re-election at their respective confederations. The new members of the FIFA Council came into force on 30 September 2016. There is a total of 37 new members on the council. It came into force before the 2016 Ordinary FIFA congress. The new council will"
"All three previous CONMEBOL presidents are facing US indictments for corruption. Alejandro Domínguez Wilson–Smith Alejandro Domínguez Wilson–Smith (born on 25 January 1972) is a Paraguayan football administrator, president of CONMEBOL, a vice-president of FIFA and a member of the FIFA Council. Alejandro Domínguez was born on 25 January 1972, the son of Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb (a wealthy businessman and football administrator) and Peggy Wilson–Smith. Dominguez was elected president of CONMEBOL in January 2016. He was the only candidate, after Wilmar Valdez of Uruguay withdrew, and was elected unanimously. Dominguez succeeded his close friend, fellow Paraguayan Juan Ángel Napout, who was"
"stance with FIFA with a demand of reform. Ultimately, the FA abstained from the 2011 FIFA presidential election between incumbent president Sepp Blatter and Mohammed Bin Hammam. Bin Hammam was later suspended by FIFA days prior to the election and the FA demanded that the election would be postponed with only one name on the ballot paper two days prior to the election. With only a day The FA managed to get 17 football associations to support their demand. Other football associations such as Germany also vented their concern at the events unfolding at FIFA as too did FIFA sponsors."
"consecutive times, compatriot Andrés Iniesta two times and Argentine Lionel Messi has won the award in the last three years. Barcelona is the club with the most wins, with nine in total. ""From 1991 until 2009, FIFA continued this distinction named ""FIFA World Player of the Year""; this award was later replaced by the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010, and The Best FIFA Men's Player in 2016."" In 2017, IFFHS started to nominate a world team of the year. Coach: Zinedine Zidane ""(Real Madrid)"" Coach: Didier Deschamps ""(France)"" In 2017, IFFHS started to nominate a world team of the year."
"65th FIFA Congress The 65th FIFA Congress was held at the Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland, from 28 to 29 May 2015. The congress was preceded by the arrests in Zürich of several officials associated with FIFA, who were expected to be extradited to the United States to face various corruption charges. Two nominees, Sepp Blatter and Prince Ali bin Hussein, received the necessary nominations to be eligible for the FIFA Presidency. Frenchman Jérôme Champagne declared his intention to run. In February 2015, however, he failed to receive the requisite five nominations. Luís Figo and Michael van Praag withdrew from the"
"2018, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, preceding the opening match of the tournament between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. At the start of the ceremony, Russian president Vladimir Putin gave a speech, welcoming the countries of the world to Russia and calling football a uniting force. Brazilian World Cup-winning striker Ronaldo entered the stadium with a child in a Russia shirt. Pop singer Robbie Williams then sang two of his songs solo before he and Russian soprano Aida Garifullina performed a duet. Dancers dressed in the flags of the 32 competing teams appeared carrying a sign with the name"
"2016 with more than 97% of the votes as there were no other candidates for this position. Uli Hoeneß Ulrich ""Uli"" Hoeneß (; born 5 January 1952), is the president of German football club Bayern Munich and a retired footballer for West Germany who played as a forward for club and country. Hoeneß represented Germany at one World Cup and two European Championships, winning one tournament in each competition. During his playing career he was mainly associated with Bayern Munich, with whom he won three league championship titles and three European Cup titles. He later served as the club's general"
"2015 FIFA Presidency election to Sepp Blatter after resigning before second round voting took place. Blatter secured 60 more votes than Ali in the first round of voting, shy of the two thirds majority required to win in the first round, though with only a simple majority required in subsequent rounds Ali's defeat appeared to be inevitable. However, following Blatter's announcement in June 2015 that he would resign from the post of FIFA president amid the ongoing corruption scandal, Ali announced in September 2015 that he would run for FIFA president again in the 2016 special election. Ali finished third"
"match. Following the 2015 FIFA corruption case, the current president of UEFA, Michel Platini, was also involved himself in the case. Swiss prosecutors accuse FIFA president Sepp Blatter of making a ""disloyal payment"" of $2m (£1.6m) to Mr Platini. Swiss attorney general, Michael Lauber, stated: ""We didn't interview Mr Platini as a witness, that's not true. We investigated against him in between as a witness and an accused person"". Both Platini and Sepp Blatter are currently under formal investigation by FIFA's independent ethics committee. On 8 October 2015, Platini was provisionally suspended for 90 days from any football-related activity. Annual"
"United States Soccer Federation presidential election, 2018 The 2018 United States Soccer Federation presidential election will be held in February 2018 to determine the next President of the United States Soccer Federation. Having served as President since 2006, incumbent Sunil Gulati has elected not to run for re-election, after the United States men's national soccer team failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986. Sunil Gulati, the incumbent president of U.S. Soccer, has held the position since he was first elected in 2006. Gulati ran unopposed for election in 2006, and for re-election in"
"in detail, become public. The agenda also calls for the FIFA president not to serve more than two terms of office. On 29 March 2011, ChangeFIFA endorsed former Chilean defender and for 3 years running South American Footballer of the Year Elias Figueroa for the FIFA presidency in the 2011 elections and urged FIFA's member-associations to back Figueroa, who needed to be nominated by a national football federation. However, on 31 March 2011, Figueroa announced he had decided not to accept his nomination as candidate, because ""in such a short period of time I could not develop a case worthy"
"the Normalization Committee appointed by FIFA on 2 December 2014 under the guidance of Mr. Mohamed Shaweed on May 2016 Mr. Ahmed Thariq was elected as the President and Mr. Bassam Adeel Jaleel was appointed as the General Secretary. However with the dismissal of the General Secretary Mr. Bassam Adeel Jaleel after three months of his term in office President Mr. Ahmed Thariq was forced out of the office due to resignation of five Executive Members followed by reinstatement of Mr. Bassam as the General Secretary from FIFA due to unlawful statutory dismissal resulting in call for election. Bassam contested"
"João Havelange Jean-Marie Faustin Godefroid ""João"" de Havelange (; 8 May 1916 – 16 August 2016) was a Brazilian lawyer, businessman, athlete and centenarian who served as the seventh President of FIFA from 1974 to 1998. His tenure as President is the second longest in FIFA's history, behind only that of Jules Rimet. He received the title of Honorary President when leaving office, but resigned in April 2013. He succeeded Stanley Rous and was succeeded by Sepp Blatter. João Havelange served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1963 to 2011. He was the longest-serving active member"
"City area with his wife and two children. Sunil Gulati Sunil Gulati ( ; born July 30, 1959) was the President of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) from 2006 to 2018. In April 19, 2013, he was elected to a four-year term on the FIFA Council. In March 2014, he was unanimously re-elected to a record third four-year term as USSF president; having been elected initially in 2006 and re-elected again in 2010. Gulati is also a senior lecturer in the economics department of Columbia University. He is the former president of Kraft Soccer for the New England Revolution"
"McDonald's, Budweiser, and MasterCard. Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising, even if such sponsors conflict with those of the FIFA Club World Cup. However, only one main sponsor is permitted per jersey in addition to that of the kit manufacturer. The tournament's current event sponsors and brands advertised (in ""italic"") are: FIFA Partners Event Sponsors Cristiano Ronaldo and Toni Kroos hold the shared record of four times champions of the FIFA Club World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record of being the overall top goalscorer in FIFA Club World Cup history with seven goals. Mohamed Aboutrika, Hossam Ashour and"
"opposed Sunil Gulati. Of the nine declared candidates, only Paul Lapointe failed to qualify for the ballot, since he supported Sunil Gulati. ""Paul Caligiuri withdrew ""Michael Winograd and Steve Gans withdrew ""Carlos Cordeiro was elected United States Soccer Federation presidential election, 2018 The 2018 United States Soccer Federation presidential election will be held in February 2018 to determine the next President of the United States Soccer Federation. Having served as President since 2006, incumbent Sunil Gulati has elected not to run for re-election, after the United States men's national soccer team failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for"
"workers' conditions in football stadiums. He stated he would not seek reelection if elected. On 21 May 2015, just a few days before the elections, he announced his withdrawal from FIFA presidential race in order to support Ali bin Hussein, stating he believed he had the best shot at the presidency. Candidate Luís Figo did the same. Blatter was however reelected, although he had to resign four days after the election because of corruption allegations. Later that year, he became Vice President of the UEFA, named by President Michel Platini. On 14 September 2016, Van Praag received 13 votes to"
"2 April 2007, a new President was elected, with former Vice-President Giancarlo Abete being voted by 264 grand electors out of 271. Following the 2014 FIFA World Cup Abete resigned and Carlo Tavecchio was elected President of the Federation and Michele Uva as general manager. The new governance began many reforms on the main aspects of Italian football, particularly through the use of young players trained in Italy, on the economic sustainability - financial professional clubs; start the reorganization of the operating structure of the FIGC. In support of the activity and with a view of maximum transparency, the FIGC"