Friday’s Sports in Brief – Washington Times

ZURICH (AP) – Gianni Infantino is the new president of soccer’s corruption-scarred world governing body, winning election after promising national leaders of the sport that he would share the wealth from FIFA’s $5 billion World Cup revenues.

Infantino was chosen on the second-ballot to fill the unexpired term of longtime FIFA leader Sepp Blatter, who was forced out by the pressure of U.S. and Swiss investigations of bribery and corruption that emerged two days before the previous vote in May 2015.

The stunning outcome seemed to catch the 45-year-old Infantino off-guard. He had to compose himself before starting his acceptance speech and saluted voters by patting his heart with his right hand.

Infantino pledged to meet quickly with World Cup broadcasters and sponsors, saying they “they need to regain trust and confidence in football and in FIFA.”

“I am convinced a new era is starting,” said the Swiss-born former lawyer. Blatter headed FIFA for more than 17 years.

Infantino only became a candidate when a case of financial wrongdoing removed his own boss, Michel Platini, at Europe’s soccer body UEFA.

There were only four candidates on the ballot after Tokyo Sexwale withdrew during his campaign speech to voters. The four were Infantino, UEFA’s general secretary; Sheikh Salman of Bahrain, the Asian confederation president; Prince Ali of Jordan; and Jerome Champagne of France.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) – The Atlantic Coast Conference reprimanded Duke guard Grayson Allen for an incident involving Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

The league issued a three-paragraph statement after reviewing the game, saying Allen was reprimanded for his “involvement in the tripping of” Rathan-Mayes.

ACC officials say the matter is closed and they will not comment further.

Allen stuck his left leg out and Rathan-Mayes tripped and fell with 3.4 seconds left in No. 15 Duke’s 80-65 home victory Thursday night. That incident happened after Rathan-Mayes appeared to grab the back of Allen’s jersey in an attempt to fling himself downcourt.

Official Tony Greene, positioned next to the players, did not call a foul.

In a victory over Louisville two weeks earlier, Allen received a flagrant foul for tripping the Cardinals’ Ray Spalding.

GOLF

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