FairSquare has formally urged FIFA to block Gianni Infantino's bid for another presidential term, arguing that a 2022 ruling allowing him to discount his first term violates the organisation's three-term limit policy.
Human rights organisation FairSquare has lodged a complaint with FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, contending that FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already exhausted the maximum three terms permitted under the body's statutes and should be declared ineligible for re-election.
Infantino's current eligibility hinges on a 2022 ruling that excluded his initial term—which began when he was elected at an Extraordinary Congress in 2016 following Sepp Blatter's resignation—from the three-term limit calculation. FairSquare argues this interpretation contradicts FIFA's written rules. According to the organisation's director Nicholas McGeehan, the decision sets a dangerous precedent by allowing FIFA to circumvent its own regulations. Former FIFA Governance and Review Committee head Miguel Maduro, who assisted in drafting the complaint, stated that term limits were a core element of FIFA's 2016 reforms designed to restrain presidential power.
FairSquare also challenged the transparency of the 2022 determination, noting that the committee provided no public reasoning for its decision. The announcement came suspiciously close to the 2022 World Cup final, McGeehan suggested, implying FIFA leadership knew the ruling lacked proper justification.
Infantino is expected to seek re-election at FIFA's Congress in Morocco on March 18 for the 2027-31 cycle. While UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF have recently called for reviews of his conduct, and Scotland's football association announced it will not support his candidacy, Infantino retains backing from African and South American confederations.
