2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress

• 1. Introduction

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  The 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress convened at the Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland, on the 26th of February 2016. Delegates from world football's governing body gathered there for one purpose: choosing who would lead FIFA out of a corruption scandal that had shaken the sport. By the end of the day the congress had approved a package of statutory reforms and installed Gianni Infantino as president, replacing Sepp Blatter. How did football's establishment arrive at that single day, and why did a list of candidates keep shrinking before a single vote was cast? What turned a heavy favorite into a runner-up once the ballots were actually counted?

• 2. A Presidency Cut Short

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  On the 29th of May 2015, delegates at the 65th FIFA Congress re-elected Sepp Blatter to a fifth term as president, defeating Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan. Four days later, on the 2nd of June, Blatter announced that he intended to resign, saying he would remain in office only until a new election could be held. That July, the FIFA Executive Committee set the date for the vote and announced the deadlines candidates would need to meet. The stage was set for a contest that would decide FIFA's direction for years to come.

• 3. Reform Package

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  A reform package that FIFA itself called "landmark" passed during the first part of the session, backed by 179 of the 207 member federations present. Among its central promises was the dissolution of the FIFA Executive Committee, the body that had long concentrated power at the top of the organization. In its place would sit a larger FIFA Council, with members selected by the sport's regional confederations. The package also imposed term limits on senior offices, including the presidency, a restriction that had never previously applied. Whether those new limits would shape the man about to be elected was a question the congress had yet to answer.

• 4. The Candidates

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  Candidates had until 23:59 CET on the 26th of October 2015-22:59 GMT, to file a nomination backed by at least five national federations. Sepp Blatter himself was considered a possible late entrant, despite his own denial: "I will not be a candidate for the election in 2016." He had earlier insisted he was "not resigning," before the election date had even been set.

  On the 28th of October 2015, FIFA released the names of seven men seeking the presidency. By the 9th of November 2015, FIFA's Ad-hoc Electoral Committee had narrowed that field, declaring five candidates eligible to stand.

  Prince Ali Al Hussein, FIFA vice-president and runner-up in the 2015 election, had re-announced his bid on the 9th of September 2015. Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, entered the race on the 15th of October. Jérôme Champagne, a FIFA executive from 1999 to 2010, announced his candidacy on the 23rd of October. Tokyo Sexwale, a South African businessman, joined the race on the 25th of October, though he later withdrew after delivering his speech to the congress. Gianni Infantino, general secretary of UEFA, announced last, on the 26th of October. Two of the original seven candidates would not make it this far, disqualified for reasons that had nothing to do with votes.

• 5. Excluded Before The Vote

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  Michel Platini, president of UEFA, had announced his own candidacy on the 29th of July 2015, months ahead of the deadline. FIFA suspended him on the 8th of October, and on the 21st of December excluded him from the race entirely over corruption and accepting bribes. Musa Bility, president of the Liberia Football Association, announced on the 26th of October but was excluded on the 12th of November after failing an integrity check. David Nakhid, a former Trinidad and Tobago national team captain, announced on the 16th of October and was excluded on the 28th of October for failing to gather the required five federation endorsements.

  Sepp Blatter, still the incumbent, was suspended on the 8th of October pending an ethics investigation. Chung Mong-joon, a South Korean businessman and politician, was banned from footballing activity for six years that same day. Jérôme Valcke was also suspended alongside them. A long list of other names circulated without ever becoming formal candidates, among them Kuwaiti politician Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah, British football executive David Gill, Dutch administrator Michael van Praag, and retired players Luís Figo, Zico, Diego Maradona and David Ginola. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of the international chess federation FIDE, also appeared on that list. None of those names would appear on the ballot when voting finally began.

• 6. The Vote

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  A two-thirds majority was required to win the first round outright, a threshold nobody reached. Gianni Infantino took 88 votes to Sheikh Salman's 85, with Prince Ali collecting 27 and Jérôme Champagne 7; Tokyo Sexwale had already withdrawn by then. The result pushed the election into a second round of voting for the first time in 42 years.

  A simple majority of more than 50 percent, at least 104 votes, was enough to win the second round. Infantino secured 115 votes to Salman's 88, while Prince Ali collected just 4 and Champagne none. The man who had trailed the pre-vote favorite in round one had overtaken him by the time the second count was read.

• 7. Reactions

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  Sheikh Salman had entered the day as the heavy favorite, making Infantino's win a surprise to many observers. A bloc of federations opposed to Salman is thought to have swung the second round in Infantino's direction. Sunil Gulati, president of the United States Soccer Federation, and other CONCACAF delegations played a key role, reportedly shifting their support from Prince Ali to Infantino between the two rounds after a series of conversations.

  The day before the election, Sepp Blatter gave a press interview describing himself as leaving office "a happy man." He later congratulated Infantino directly, but warned him that in the job, "friends become rare."