FIFA Presidency in Question: Former Governance Chief Claims Infantino Ineligible for Re-election

FIFA President Gianni Infantino may not be eligible to seek a fourth term in 2027, according to Miguel Maduro, the former head of FIFA’s governance committee. Maduro stated that Article 33, paragraph two of the FIFA statutes clearly prohibits any individual from serving as president for more than three terms. "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 told reporters on Tuesday.

Maduro's remarks come just two weeks before the deadline for submitting candidacies for the March 2027 presidential election. In light of this, the human rights organization FairSquare has contacted member associations, urging them to declare Infantino ineligible. FairSquare had previously argued that Infantino had already served the maximum three terms allowed by the statutes. However, Infantino successfully contended that his initial period in office, from his election in 2016 following Sepp Blatter's resignation until 2019, should not count towards this limit as it completed an interrupted mandate. The FIFA Council had previously "unanimously confirmed" in December 2022 that the 2016-2019 period did not count as a term, though FairSquare noted that the justification for this decision was never publicly disclosed.

Maduro, a Portuguese lawyer who was removed from his FIFA position in 2017, emphasized that the statute's wording does not differentiate between complete or incomplete terms. "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 stated.

Infantino's chances for re-election were significantly boosted last month by an endorsement from the head of Asian football, and his support across confederations positions him strongly among FIFA's 211 voting members.

Maduro also commented on FIFA's governance framework, suggesting it is insufficient to hold the president accountable, particularly when rule interpretations benefit the incumbent. He argued that existing checks and balances have failed, leading to a weakening of the independence of bodies meant to oversee the president's power. "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," he explained.

FairSquare reported contacting 52 member associations, and while no responses have been received yet, its director, Nicholas McGeehan, indicated plans to meet with Norwegian football officials. The Norwegian Football Association (NFF) has previously supported FairSquare's complaint against Infantino regarding a breach of political neutrality rules. "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 said. "But other associations also need to step up, it can’t always be left to the Norwegians to insist on basic rules." Maduro attributed the reluctance of member associations to act independently to a "climate of fear."