FIFA governance panel urged to block Infantinos 2027 re-election bid over term-limit dispute

Human rights group FairSquare has called on FIFA’s governance committee to bar President Gianni Infantino from standing in the March 18, 2027, election, arguing his candidacy would violate the body’s term-limit rules. In a letter sent to three members of FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Commission, the organization stated that Infantino is already serving his “third and final” term and that a fourth would breach statutes capping the presidency at three terms or 12 years .

The dispute centers on whether Infantino’s first term, from 2016 to 2019, counts toward the limit. FIFA has previously ruled that this period—when Infantino completed the term of his predecessor, Sepp Blatter—does not count, a position the organization’s governing bodies have accepted. FairSquare counters that the statutes contain “no exception” for partial terms and that FIFA has never published a legal basis for its interpretation .

Former FIFA Governance Committee chair Miguel Maduro, who co-authored the letter, said the council lacks authority to decide candidate eligibility or bind the statutes. “Mr. Infantino cannot be a candidate for a fourth term,” Maduro stated in a press release accompanying the letter, which was addressed to commission members Bruno Chiomento, Chris Mihm and Molly Rhone .

Infantino’s leadership has faced mounting criticism, particularly after his now-abandoned proposal to sell a 21% stake in a new entity managing FIFA competition rights, including World Cup commercial and ticketing rights, to private investors. The plan, known as FIFA Forward Enterprise, drew widespread opposition, with UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation issuing an open letter accusing FIFA and Infantino of breaking trust “through deception” and calling the controversy a matter of “the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it” .

The Scottish Football Association announced it will not vote for Infantino’s re-election, aligning with UEFA’s position. Chief executive Ian Maxwell said the SFA “agree completely” with UEFA’s stated lack of confidence in FIFA’s leadership. The English, Welsh and Republic of Ireland associations have also withdrawn support for Infantino, who remains the sole declared candidate for the presidency .

FairSquare’s latest complaint follows an earlier, unsuccessful submission to the International Olympic Committee alleging Infantino’s close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump constituted undue political influence .