Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, on Friday appointed Fatma Samoura of Senegal, a veteran United Nations diplomat, as the organization’s secretary general.
Samoura would be the first woman to hold a senior executive position in FIFA, world soccer’s governing body. In her new role, she would serve as the organization’s chief executive in the revamped governance structure that FIFA approved this year. FIFA said Samoura was expected to assume her new post in June, after she passes the eligibility and integrity checks now required of top executives.
“It is essential for FIFA to incorporate fresh perspectives — from outside the traditional pool of football executives — as we continue to restore and rebuild our organization,” Infantino said in making the announcement at the FIFA Congress in Mexico City.