Football Association chairman Greg Clarke is the new FIFA vice-president after beating Irish FA boss David Martin 37-18 in a vote at the UEFA Congress in Rome on Thursday.
The 51-year-old Englishman was a comfortable winner in the ballot of European football’s 55 member associations and will now take up a four-year role that comes with a £190,000 salary and generous travel expenses.
With one of the eight vice-president berths on the FIFA Council reserved for a British representative, Clarke made no secret of his desire to replace David Gill when the former Manchester United chief executive announced his decision to step down last year.
But any hopes of a coronation in the Italian capital were dashed in November when Martin threw his hat into the ring, with some sources suggesting the 65-year-old had a good chance of causing an upset.
Meanwhile, Aleksander Ceferin was re-elected as UEFA president.
The 51-year-old was unopposed in the election and continue his role at the head of European football’s governing body for the next four years.
Ceferin, a Slovenian lawyer, took over from Michel Platini in 2016 after the Frenchman was banned by FIFA.
“We will work hand-in-hand with our partner, the European Club Association, to design the club competitions of the future,” Ceferin said.
“Club competitions that are in keeping with the times, full of excitement and intensity and open, which will bring a new dimension to European football.”