The 2016 Extraordinary FIFA Congress: As it Happened
February 26, 2016
The Extraordinary FIFA Congress is taking place in Zurich today where the new FIFA president will be named.
Gianni Infantino, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Jerome Champagne, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and Tokyo Sexwale are the candidates in the running to replace Sepp Blatter.
We will have LIVE updates throughout the day with the latest from Zurich:
5:30pm: Thank you for tuning into iSportconnect for the live updates of the FIFA Extraordinary Congress in a day which saw landmark reforms approved and Swiss Gianni Infantino elected president to replace Sepp Blatter.
5:10pm: Infantino won 115 of the second round votes, with Sheikh Salman gaining 88 votes, Prince Ali 4 votes and Jerome Champagne 0 votes.
5:00PM: BREAKING: GIANNI INFANTINO NAMED AS THE NEW FIFA PRESIDENT
4:45pm: Some strong words by UEFA Executive Committee Member Karen Espelund
4:30pm: The second round of the voting is now over and the votes will be counted shortly. The announcement of the new president of FIFA is not too far away now.
3:11pm: After no majority vote was secured, the voting will now go to a second round.
3:10pm: FIFA announces the results of the first round of voting – Gianni Infantino 88, Sheikh Salman 85, Prince Ali 27 and Jerome Champagne 7.
12:49pm: The first round of the FIFA presidential voting is now taking place.
12:45pm: “I am prepared to serve under the next president. My campaign is suspended as of now. I leave you four candidates… it’s your problem now” Tokyo Sexwale ends his speech in incredible fashion.
12:41pm: BREAKING: Tokyo Sexwale withdraws FIFA presidential candidacy.
12:37pm: “People say withdraw. I am a soldier, I die with my boots on. These are extraordinary times. Extraordinary means crisis,” Tokyo Sexwale
12:32pm: The fifth and final candidate Tokyo Sexwale is up on the podium now.
12:27pm: “The money of Fifa is your money, not the money of the Fifa president. If we develop football with Fifa’s money the world will look at us and applaud us,” Gianni Infantino
12:25: “The image of FIFA is tarnished…you have two choices: you hide or you stand up. For me to hide is not an option. I’ve always wanted to act. I want to do what is right…we need football more than ever,” Gianni Infantino
12:20pm: It is now the turn of Gianni Infantino to speak
12:14pm: “Reforms have been adopted, but much needs to be done. We need to ensure that Fifa remains strong and United. We need diplomacy and perseverance to achieve these goals,” Jerome Champagne
12:12pm: “We need to make Fifa more feminine…I want to create a division for women’s football. I will introduce a world collective bargaining agreement to track transfers around the world,” Jerome Champagne
12:07pm: Frenchman Jerome Champagne is now on the podium to deliver his speech.
12:05pm: “I’m not ready to mortgage the future of FIFA for election purposes,” Sheikh Salman adds.
12:04: “We are happy that we have passed the resolutions of reforms…this is a first step, not the end of reform. This is just the beginning, and I’m sure there is a lot to come. Consulting together on what’s best for FIFA is the most important thing.” Sheikh Salman
12:00pm: Sheikh Salman: “Trying to close the gap between the smaller nations and the bigger ones is right. We need to make sure this organisation is run with responsibility and that is our duty.”
11:58am: Sheikh Salman is now addressing the FIFA Congress
11:51am: Prince Ali: “I will bridge divides and heal the rifts in our governing body. We have to take a united stand against the status quo.”
11:45am: Prince Ali is the first of the FIFA presidential candidates to take the stand and give his final speech
11:00am: “We stand united in our determination to put things right, so that the focus can return to football once again,” said Acting FIFA President Issa Hayatou. “The hard work of restoring trust and improving how we work begins now.”
“This will create a system of stronger governance and greater diversity that will give football a strong foundation on which to thrive. It will help to restore trust in our organisation. And it will deter future wrongdoing.”
10:45am: Here are some of the key proposals passed with the FIFA reforms package
10:30am: FIFA’s member associations approve package of reforms.
The reforms were supported by 179 of the 207 member associations
9:30am: Here are the key numbers you need to know for today’s FIFA Congress
9:05am Arsenal and Germany footballer Mesut Ozil reveals who he is supporting for the FIFA Election
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