Gianni Infantino insisted on Sunday that FIFA's reform package would close the door on a chapter of pain at world football's governing body and usher in an era of joy.

The package will limit Infantino's powers compared to those formerly enjoyed by the disgraced Sepp Blatter, and there will be a 12-year term limit for all top officials and their earnings will be fully disclosed.

The all-powerful executive committee will be renamed a FIFA council and football's multi-billion dollar business activities will be run separately from football politics.

"This will be done very fast," the freshly elected president said, on the fringe of a FIFA museum inauguration.

"I mean we have to look forward. The reforms have been approved. As of now and for the future there will be no issues anymore," he promised.

"And as for the past, we have to make sure we cooperate fully with all the authorities to make sure that everything comes out if something has happened."

Having admitted there may be more skeletons in FIFA's cupboard he conversely claimed the future was bright when asked if there was more pain for FIFA to come.

"There is more joy for FIFA to come," he claimed.

Asked what his top priority was as he embarks on his much scrutinised project, Infantino said he was raring to go and hammered home his conviction.

"Seriously first the reforms. The reforms need to be implemented now. They need to be implemented from day one, immediately. 

"So I will go up to the office to start looking at concretely how to implement these reforms so that we can very soon as well concentrate on football."

The 45-year-old Swiss-Italian, who beat main rival Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa by 115 votes to 88 in the second round vote on Friday has been hailed by many as the right man at the right time, including English football supremo Greg Dyke.

The English FA chairman described the Swiss as "straight".

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek show Dyke said: "This is a chance. Hopefully a new leader plus a reform programme can actually make it tougher to see the sort of antics we have seen in recent years."

Infantino, he insisted, had been part of a fairly functioning UEFA, which should not be mistaken for its senior global partner FIFA.

He said: "If you have got someone like Gianni, you have got more chance of that being done properly - it's certainly done properly in UEFA - so that you know where the money is being spent because we all want more money to go to countries around the world where you need money to develop football, and some countries need it more than others."

Infantino opens FIFA museum

Gianni Infantino opened FIFA's new museum in his first official act as president of soccer's governing body on Sunday.

FIFA said it invested 110mn Swiss francs ($110.41mn) on renovating the building with 30mn Swiss francs spent on the museum itself, which features more than 1,000 exhibits.


A view of the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich.

"This is the place where football will be lived and breathed," said Infantino. "Here you can catch the football virus, if you are not already a carrier. This is only about football."

"It's become a great museum with attention to the worldwide development of football.”

Infantino distanced himself from Sepp Blatter, whose ban meant he was not able to attend the opening, in comments published by the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick on Sunday.

"Sepp Blatter characterised one era at FIFA. I hope that I will characterise a different era at FIFA," fellow Swiss Infantino said.

"Infantino is Infantino. Blatter is Blatter."

Infantino also distanced himself from former European soccer boss Michel Platini who had been favourite to succeed Blatter until he was placed under investigation and, like Blatter, banned for six years.

"I'm my own man. Otherwise you don't win such an election. But I still have a good rapport with Platini. Basically, I get on with everyone."

Infantino, who has four daughters, added: "The future of football belongs to women."

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