Gianni Infantino wins FIFA presidential election

[...] everyone in the world will applaud us, Infantino said, referring to bribery and corruption investigations that have rocked soccer's governing body and forced Sepp Blatter out of office after more than 17 years as president.

Infantino, the general secretary of European governing body UEFA, is the second straight FIFA president from the Valais region in the Swiss Alps.

Infantino exceeded most observers' expectations after an impressive 15-minute pitch, only 20 minutes before first-round voting began.

More guaranteed funding from FIFA's $5 billion-plus World Cup revenue, more places in an expanded 40-team tournament and more opportunities to stage the World Cup with multi-national regional hosting.

Before electing FIFA's first new president since 1998, 87 percent of the 207 voting federations passed wide-ranging reforms to protect against corruption and curb the powers of its new president.

FIFA and its lawyers hope the reform will help show U.S. prosecutors the soccer body is serious about changing its culture, and protect its status as a victim in the American investigation.