Fifa election 2016 result: New president Gianni Infantino beats Sheikh Salman to be elected as Sepp Blatter’s successor
Fifa has elected Gianni Infantino as its new president.
The Swiss-Italian lawyer will replace Sepp Blatter and lead football's governing body from 2016 to 2019.
Infantino saw off competition from rival Sheikh Salman by winning the majority of votes from Fifa's member associations in the second round of voting.
The former secretary general of Uefa received 115 votes in the second ballot, trumping Sheikh Salman's 88, Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein's eight votes and Jerome Champagne's zero.
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He heralded the result as a victory for democracy and told Fifa's member associations he wanted to work with them to "restore a new era to football".
Fifa's 207 eligible member associations, gathered in Zurich's cavernous Hallenstadion, forced a second ballot after neither Infantino nor Sheikh Salman secured a two-thirds majority required from the first round of voting.
Infantino, supported initially won 88 votes to Sheikh Salman's 85, yet it appears a majority of the 34 countries who voted for Prince Ali and Champagne were then persuaded to give their backing to the European.
A former ally of the now banned Michel Platini, Infantino has pledged to expand the World Cup from 32 to 40 teams.
Already, stakeholders in the game have voiced their opposition to such measures – including the European Club Association (ECA), which represents Europe's most powerful and wealthiest clubs.
"Everyone, the clubs, as well as the national and international associations, bears responsibility for the players," said ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
"We have reached a point where we cannot further burden the players, but need to relieve them. FIFA must fulfil this responsibility for the health of the players. "