Will FIFA President Again Be Infantino? Strong Likelihood of Unopposed Fourth Term... Can He Succeed in '15-Year Rule' Until 2031?

*This content was translated by AI.

Gianni Infantino (56), president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), has thrown down the gauntlet for a fourth term.

According to Reuters and other reports on the 1st (Korean time), In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) officially announced his intention to run in the next presidential election at the final stage of the FIFA Congress held in Vancouver, Canada, on that day. The next election will be held on March 18 next year in Morocco, the co-host of the 2030 World Cup.

In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) took over the reins after Jeffrey Blatter Jeon (Chairman) resigned amid corruption allegations in 2016. Since then, he was elected without a vote by running alone in both 2019 and 2023. According to regulations introduced in 2016, the combined term of the FIFA president is limited to 12 years. However, In Pan-ti-no (Chairman)'s first three and a half years are excluded from the limit as they served out the remainder of the predecessor's term. If he wins this election, he will lead FIFA until 2031.

On that day, he expressed his feelings, saying, "The election race begins today. I feel honored and humble."

With no suitable rival currently, a fourth term is becoming a foregone conclusion. Following unanimous support from the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) expressed full support ahead of the Congress.

In Pan-ti-no (Chairman) is credited with leading FIFA into a financial golden age by expanding the number of teams qualifying for the men's and women's World Cup finals to 48 and 32 countries, respectively. However, he has also faced fierce criticism over the murderous schedule resulting from the expansion of tournament scale, concerns about environmental damage, and the decision to award the inaugural 'FIFA Peace Prize' to U.S. President Donald Trump.

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*This content was translated by AI.