FIFA’s Infantino ineligible for re-election, says former governance chief | Football
Maduro Argues Infantino Ineligible for Fourth FIFA Term
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Published: November 4, 2026
Miguel Maduro, the former head of FIFA’s governance committee, has asserted that Gianni Infantino is ineligible to seek a fourth term as president of FIFA in 2027, citing the organization’s statutes.
Maduro emphasized the clarity of Article 33, paragraph two of FIFA’s regulations, which states that no individual may serve as president for more than three terms. In comments made to reporters on Tuesday, he stated, “Gianni Infantino has been elected three times; he’s served three terms as president of FIFA. So in my view, there’s no way to reconcile another presidency for Infantino.”
His remarks come just two weeks before FIFA’s deadline for submitting candidacies for the presidential election scheduled for March 2027. As the cutoff approaches, the human rights organization FairSquare has reached out to FIFA member associations, urging them to declare Infantino ineligible for another term due to the maximum term limits established in FIFA’s statutes.
FairSquare has previously requested that FIFA rule Infantino ineligible, arguing that he has already served the maximum three terms. However, Infantino has contended that his first term, which began following Sepp Blatter’s resignation in 2016, should not count toward this limit, as it completed an interrupted mandate.
In December 2022, the FIFA Council “unanimously confirmed” that the period from 2016 to 2019 does not count as a term for Infantino. Nonetheless, FairSquare has noted that the rationale for this determination has not been made public.
Maduro, a Portuguese lawyer who was removed from his FIFA position in 2017 after opposing the re-election of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko to FIFA’s top committee, expressed concern over the governance framework of FIFA. He stated that existing checks and balances have failed to hold the president accountable, particularly when rule interpretations serve the president’s interests.
“The weakening of the independence of the bodies that are supposed to oversee presidential powers is significant,” Maduro said. He added that the lack of effective control has resulted in the current president being perceived as having the freedom to act unilaterally.
FairSquare has contacted 52 member associations regarding the situation, but has not yet received any responses. Nicholas McGeehan, director and cofounder of FairSquare, mentioned that they plan to meet with officials from Norway’s football association on Wednesday. The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has previously supported FairSquare’s official complaint against Infantino for breaching political neutrality rules.
“Given that the NFF has already engaged the Ethics Committee and the Governance Committee, we are hopeful they will set an example in this case as well,” McGeehan remarked. “However, other associations need to step up; it cannot always be left to the Norwegians to insist on basic rules.”
Maduro noted that many member associations are hesitant to act independently, attributing their reluctance to a “climate of fear” surrounding the governance of FIFA.
