Gianni Infantino
from Profile Hosted by BBC Radio 4
The FIFA president grew up in Switzerland as part of an Italian migrant family, and fell in love with football and its administration when he was just a teenager. Having qualified as a football lawyer and making a name for himself at the European football federation UEFA, Infantino ended up perfectly positioned to take over the presidency of the world body FIFA after the organisation was mired in corruption charges. His promise to give the member associations double the money sealed his bid. He’s now been president for over 10 years and has overseen FIFA’s expansion, with World Cups in Qatar, Russia and now North America; the growth of the women’s game; more competitions; more controversy - and of course more money. This week, his love affair with Donald Trump has been thrust into the spotlight after US player Folarin Balogun’s red card was suspended following Trump's appeal to Infantino. Will this latest controversy prove his undoing, or is it just another chapter in a new brazen age? Production: Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Tom Gillett, Eleanor Harrison-Dengate Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele, Siobhan Reed Sound: Neil Churchill Editor: Justine Lang ARCHIVE: FIFA
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