Infantino poised for FIFA re-election

As the only candidate for election, FIFA President Gianni Infantino is set to serve four more years as the leader of football’s governing body.

Infantino had the required nomination letters from five of the 211 member federations when the deadline passed at midnight Tuesday in Zurich, FIFA said yesterday.

“Good news for football,” Infantino said after arriving at a hotel in Rome, where his former employer UEFA is holding two days of meetings.

Infantino, who was also awarded a medal by Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday, must now pass the formality of eligibility and integrity checks for the election on June 5 in Paris.

The 48-year-old Swiss lawyer has been widely expected to win unopposed with support already pledged by most FIFA members, including through their continental governing bodies such as North America’s CONCACAF and South America’s CONMEBOL.

Since being elected in February 2016, Infantino oversaw expanding the World Cup to 48 teams in 2026, and picking the United States, Canada and Mexico to co-host it.

He is completing the term of Sepp Blatter, who announced his resignation plan days after American and Swiss prosecutors revealed sweeping investigations of corruption in football in May 2015. Blatter was later banned by the FIFA ethics committee for financial irregularities along with Michel Platini, Infantino’s former boss at UEFA.

The main event of Infantino’s first full mandate is the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA is still studying if that tournament — being played for the first time in November and December — could also be expanded to 48 teams. It would require Qatar agreeing to share hosting duties with regional neighbours because the gas-rich emirate does not have stadiums and infrastructure to cope with the extra games and teams.

But Barcelona eventually established control and forward Malcom equalised after Luis Suarez had hit the post in the 58th.

Lionel Messi stayed on the bench for Barcelona until coming on in the 64th. The Argentine had been doubtful for the match after picking up a right-leg injury on Saturday.

This was the first of three “clasicos” in less than a month. The return leg of the semi-final in Madrid is on February 27, just before their LaLiga game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on March 3.