Sepp Blatter hails Gianni Infantino as a worthy successor

Gianni Infantino was named FIFA's ninth president on Friday, and it didn't take long for his predecessor, Sepp Blatter, to praise his selection.

Speaking about the Swiss-Italian UEFA general secretary moments after the second round of voting confirmed Infantino's victory, Blatter said the 45-year-old exec "has all the qualities to continue my work and to stabilise FIFA again."

Infantino, who worked at UEFA during Blatter's dubious tenure at the helm of FIFA, has vowed to return the organisation to what it was before its days of controversy and corruption.

Blatter's warm words are quite the shift from ones earlier in the campaign where he was critical of Infantino despite the fact they originated from neighbouring Swiss towns.

The 79-year-old former FIFA president changed his tune, praising Infantino's "experience, expertise, strategic, and diplomatic skills."

Banned six years for unethical practices stemming from an illegal payment to exiled UEFA boss Michel Platini, the remainder of Blatter's term as FIFA president will be served by Infantino, transitioning into his own reign until May 2019.