FIFA President Infantino Ineligible for Fourth Term

FIFA president Infantino cannot stand for a fourth term as head of world football in 2027 under the body’s own statutes, former head of the FIFA Governance Committee Miguel Maduro said on Tuesday. The claim, reported by Reuters, challenges a president who has led FIFA since 2016 and has gathered strong confederation backing ahead of the next election.

FairSquare, a human rights organisation, has written to member associations urging them to declare Infantino ineligible, on the ground that he has already served the maximum three terms allowed under the statutes.

Why FIFA president Infantino faces a term-limit challenge

The argument turns on Article 33, paragraph two of the FIFA statutes, which says no person may serve as president for more than three terms. Infantino has been elected three times, and he has served three terms as president, so Maduro sees no room for a fourth.

“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.”

Infantino’s camp reads the history differently. He first won office at an Extraordinary Congress in 2016, after Sepp Blatter resigned, and his supporters argue that spell completed an interrupted mandate and should not count. In December 2022, the FIFA Council unanimously confirmed that the 2016 to 2019 period does not count as a term for Infantino.

FairSquare disputes that reading, saying the reasoning behind the 2022 decision has never been made public. Maduro went further, and said the wording of the rule makes no exception 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,” he said.

FairSquare presses member associations

FairSquare has taken its case to the voters. It contacted 52 member associations, although none has yet responded, and its director Nicholas McGeehan told Reuters the group will meet Norwegian officials on Wednesday.

Norway previously backed FairSquare’s complaint against Infantino over a breach of political neutrality rules, and McGeehan hopes it will set an example again.

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

Maduro blamed what he described as a “climate of fear” for member associations’ reluctance to act.

A governance framework under strain

Maduro is no neutral bystander in FIFA politics. He is a Portuguese lawyer who was removed from his post at FIFA in 2017 after he blocked Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko from re-election to its top committee. His removal gives his critique a personal edge.

He argued FIFA’s governance framework cannot hold its president to account when the president gains from a disputed reading of the rules.

“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 said. “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.”

Reuters said it contacted FIFA for comment; no response was included in the report.

Infantino’s prospects still look strong politically. His bid gained ground last month after the head of Asian football endorsed him, and support across confederations gives him a commanding position among FIFA’s 211 voting members. The legal question and the political count now point in different directions.

The dispute sits above scheduling news, covered in Feature Pakistan’s report on the AFC Asian Cup 2027 postponement to December, and club news such as West Ham’s sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo and World Cup demand in Pakistan-India World Cup ticket demand.

What happens next

The next marker is Wednesday’s meeting between FairSquare and Norwegian officials. If Norway acts, others may follow, and FIFA’s committees may have to answer a question left open so far. If they stay quiet, Infantino’s momentum could carry him past the challenge without a ruling.

The 2027 election will test whether FIFA’s statutes work as written or as interpreted by its council. Maduro’s reading leaves no room for a fourth term; the council’s 2022 reading leaves room for one. Tuesday’s statement ensures the argument can no longer stay quiet.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Miguel Maduro say Infantino is ineligible?

Maduro points to Article 33, paragraph two of the FIFA statutes, which says no person may serve as president for more than three terms. He says Infantino has been elected three times and has served three terms, so a fourth term is barred.

Why does Infantino’s camp disagree?

His supporters argue that his first spell, from his election at an Extraordinary Congress in 2016 after Sepp Blatter resigned, completed an interrupted mandate and should not count. The FIFA Council confirmed that reading in December 2022, saying the 2016 to 2019 period does not count as a term.

What is FairSquare asking member associations to do?

FairSquare has written to member associations and urged them to declare Infantino ineligible. It says it contacted 52 associations so far, and it plans to meet Norwegian football officials on Wednesday.

Who is Miguel Maduro?

Maduro is a Portuguese lawyer and former head of the FIFA Governance Committee. He was removed from that post in 2017 after he blocked Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko from re-election to FIFA’s top committee.

When is the next FIFA presidential election?

The dispute concerns Infantino’s bid for a fourth term in 2027. The election will test whether FIFA’s three-term limit blocks his candidacy or whether the council’s 2022 interpretation stands.