Infantino Bought Others Conscience To Win FIFA Election- Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini

The newly elected FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, has been accused of buying his way to the world football governing body's top position by Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini 

The 45-year-old Swiss-Italian football administrator defeated three other candidates to emerge winner, following the late minute pull out of South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale from the elections, thereby succeeding Sepp Blatter, who reigned for 18 years.

The Italian businessman expressed skepticism in the transparency of the election, saying that the same set of people who aided the former president, Blatter, are still the ones in charge of affairs of the body.

"The system doesn't change and the new president of Fifa, the chief of bureaucrats, was part of it all before," Zamparini is quoted as saying in a video clip on www.mediagol.it.

"If he got elected, it's only because he bought more votes than the sheikh (Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa)."

Blatter's chequered history as chief of world football saw Fifa become embroiled in several cases of vote-buying corruption.

Infantino won last week's election in the second round with 115 votes, from Asian football chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who received 88 votes.

Zamparini has built a reputation for speaking his mind since taking over the Sicily-based Serie A club in 2002, as well as firing coaches who fail to bring immediate success to the club.

He admitted his comments were likely to court controversy, but said he welcomed any future sanction.

"I hope they suspend me for saying that: for me it would be an honour." AFP