FairSquare Urges FIFA Members to Block Infantino Fourth-Term Bid

Infantino fourth term bid faces eligibility challenge

Former FIFA governance chief Miguel Maduro says Gianni Infantino's 2016-2019 spell must count as a full term, making him ineligible for a fourth term, as FairSquare pushes member associations to act.

Former FIFA governance chief claims Infantino ineligible for fourth term, members urged to take action...

Gianni Infantino is ineligible to stand for a fourth term as FIFA president in 2027 under the organisation's statutes, former head of the FIFA Governance Committee Miguel Maduro said on Tuesday. The statement came as human rights group FairSquare wrote to member associations urging them to declare him ineligible.

FairSquare had previously called on FIFA to rule that Infantino cannot seek another term, arguing he has already completed the maximum three terms allowed under the organisation's statutes.

However, Infantino successfully argued that his initial spell in charge, when he was elected at an Extraordinary Congress in 2016 following Sepp Blatter's resignation, should not be counted towards that limit as it completed an interrupted mandate.

In December 2022, the FIFA Council had “unanimously confirmed” that the period from 2016 to 2019 does not count as a term of office for Infantino, but FairSquare said the reasoning behind that decision was never made public.

“Article 33, paragraph two of the FIFA statutes is very clear when it says no person may serve as president for more than three terms,” Maduro told reporters.

“Gianni Infantino has been elected three times, he's been president of FIFA for three terms. So in my view, there's no way to reconcile another presidency of Infantino.”

Maduro is a Portuguese lawyer who was removed from his role at FIFA in 2017 after he blocked Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko from being re-elected to its top committee.

He added that the wording of the rule makes no allowance for a shortened term.

“The text of the provision is clear, it talks about three ⁠terms. It makes no distinction on whether these terms are complete terms or incomplete terms, four-year terms or terms that may be shorter than the four years,” Maduro said.

Infantino's prospects of re-election were boosted significantly last month after the head of Asian football backed his bid, while support across the confederations puts him in a commanding position among FIFA's 211 voting members.

Maduro said FIFA's governance structure is incapable of holding its president to account, particularly when he stands to benefit from interpretations of the rules, arguing that the existing checks and balances on presidential power have failed.

“That has a lot to do with the weakening of the independence of the bodies that are supposed to control the powers of the president and the political leadership of FIFA,” he explained.

“Unfortunately, the recent evidence that we've had is not one of effective control. On the contrary, it is one where the president seems to be free to decide and to do whatever you want.”

FairSquare said it had contacted 52 member associations and although none has yet responded to the call, its director and co-founder Nicholas McGeehan told Reuters they will be meeting Norwegian football officials on Wednesday.

Norway's football association (NFF) has previously supported FairSquare's official complaint against Infantino over a breach of political neutrality rules.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino insists he has the backing of the "vast, vast majority" of world football, as he laughed off questions about whether he had considered resigning over the World Cup sell-off debacle. https://t.co/9kNZpb7Pbu

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 24, 2026

“Given that the NFF have already engaged the Ethics Committee and the Governance Committee, we are hopeful they will set an example on this case too,” McGeehan told said.

“But other associations also need to step up, it can't always be left ⁠to the Norwegians to insist on basic rules.”

Maduro said member associations have been unwilling to act independently due to what he described as a “climate of fear.”