Curbs agreed on world football leader’s powers … but who will get the job?

A package of reforms aimed at curbing the power of the head of world football have been agreed. The measures were approved by Fifa delegates ahead of a vote to decide who will replace scandal-stained Sepp Blatter as president. The curbs include limiting the president’s stay in office to three terms. A new council will replace the current executive committee and it will feature a female representative from each confederation. Minutes before voting for the new president began, the field was whittled down to four candidates as South African tycoon Tokyo Sexwale told the Fifa congress in Zurich: “My campaign is suspended as of now.”

Honestly, I feel UEFA has presented a good candidate in Infantino, who I know. I do not know the other candidates, nor do I know any programme of anybody because that has been very vague.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger backs Gianni Infantino

The election to replace Mr Blatter, who served five terms but stood down after becoming mired in a corruption scandal, is likely to last all afternoon and involve several rounds of voting. The 207 delegates at the special Fifa congress were casting their votes one by one in a laborious process. The frontrunners, Bahraini prince Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino were both confident of getting more than 100 votes in the first round. But Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein could yet prove kingmaker as he secured 70 votes in the election against Mr Blatter last year.

Enough is enough. I will always be a president. Every day is a fiesta. I am a happy man. Sometimes sad, yes. But I am a happy man.

Outgoing president Sepp Blatter

fifa president