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FIFA deepens voice against corruption

Switzerland

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said they are on course in curbing corruption in football.

Barely a month since he was elected, Infantino’s mandate to clean up the corruption-plagued body is crystal clear.

From creating new sponsorship deals to wanting to reclaim tens of millions of dollars pocketed illegally, a different picture of FIFA is being painted, for the first time in months.

“FIFA is moving from the defence to the attack. And it must be very clear, that anyone who abuses FIFA, who abuses football to enrich himself and anyone who will be convicted of that, well, he will not only be excluded from football, but he will have to give the money back to football. This is a very very clear message,” Infantino said in a press briefing.

As the football governing body battles the worst corruption scandal in its history, FIFA announced that it lost more than 100 million US dollars in 2015, its first deficit in 13 years.

“The financial accounts of 2015, it’s the past. Those of 2016 and onwards they will look very very differently,” Infantino said.

FIFA is also looking to find a suitable replacement for Jerome Valcke’s position as Secretary General. Valcke was banned from football last month.

“As to the General Secretary there will be a process. If I had a name already, I would have put it already forward. I do not have. The only thing I said, he or she should not be European and for the rest I am very very open to see what candidates will come out. We will assess this, we will take the time that it takes,” he added.

Meanwhile, FIFA has inked a deal with a Chinese conglomerate which will last until 2030 and includes the next four World Cups.

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