Who is FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s wife Leena Al Ashqar and how many children do they have together?

SportFootballWorld Cup GIANNI INFANTINO has been in charge of FIFA since 2016, when he took over from Sepp Blatter. The Italian, who was re-elected in 2019, has courted controversy for his off-script comments at times. Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plans have come crashing down Credit: Getty And his recent bid to sell off a chunk of a new sister company in charge of the World Cup collapsed following Uefa’s boycott promise and a “brand nightmare” for potential investors. But one person who will stick by his side no matter what is wife Leena Al Ashqar, and here is what SunSport know about Fifa’s first lady. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Who is Leena Al Ashqar? Infantino is married to Leena Al Ashqar, a woman of Lebanese heritage. The pair are thought to have met in the early 2000s when Leena worked for the Lebanese Football Federation. The couple share four daughters together and currently resides in Zug, Switzerland. Their youngest daughter, Dhalia Nora, became ill at the 2018 Russia World Cup. It was reported that she needed to have an emergency operation to treat her appendicitis. Infantino, who was with his wife at the time, is said to have been very grateful to the hospital in St Petersburg. Most read in Football Gianni Infantino is congratulated by his wife after winning the FIFA presidential election in 2016 Credit: AFP – Getty What was Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan? FIFA president Gianni Infantino was plotting an outlandish move to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The scheme, which would involve forming a company to control the World Cup and Club World Cup and potentially earn Infantino tens of millions of pounds, was quickly blasted by Uefa. Potential investors were reportedly briefed on the plot that would also see each of Fifa’s 211 member associations handed a £15m share of the company that they could choose to sell themselves. According to The Times, figures close to Donald Trump’s administration are amongst those consulted about the plans. The blueprint would likely drive Fifa – currently a non-profit organisation – to focus more on commercial revenue due to outside pressure from investors. That could see the World Cup expanded from 48 teams to 64 and prioritising host nations based on their commercial potential. However, on Friday, July 31, Fifa announced that they have scrapped Infantino’s plans.