FairSquare asks FIFA to bar Gianni Infantino from seeking another presidential term
On August 17, 2026, human rights organisation FairSquare sent a letter to FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee urging the governing body to rule that president Gianni Infantino is ineligible to seek another term, a move made ahead of next year's FIFA Congress in Morocco. The appeal was reported to have been submitted to the committee and published in coverage by The Athletic.
FIFA statutes limit presidents to three terms in office, a restriction at the centre of FairSquare's complaint. Infantino's first period in charge began when he was elected at an Extraordinary Congress in 2016 following Sepp Blatter's resignation; he successfully argued in 2022 that that 2016–2019 spell should not count as a term because it completed an interrupted mandate. In December 2022 the FIFA Council unanimously confirmed that the period between 2016 and 2019 does not count as a term of office for Infantino, a ruling FairSquare says is inconsistent with the statutes.
FairSquare said it has filed a formal complaint to the GACC and provided supporting evidence, with its director Nicholas McGeehan characterising the filing as conclusive. "The complaint we have filed provides clear evidence that this is a clear breach of the rules and one that sets a very dangerous precedent," FairSquare director Nicholas McGeehan told Reuters. "The rules state clearly that three presidential terms is the maximum allowed, FIFA can't simply circumvent this rule -- which serves as a check on presidential power -- by saying that his first term doesn't count."
The organisation also questioned the transparency of the 2022 decision that excluded Infantino's first spell, noting the committee's reasoning has not been published. "The fact they didn't provide any reasoning to support this claim, and that they announced the apparent decision two days before the final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, suggests that they knew full well that there was no basis to discount Infantino's first term," McGeehan said.
FairSquare drafted the letter with assistance from Miguel Maduro, the former head of FIFA's independent Governance and Review Committee, who warned that FIFA could not ignore its own rules. "The principle of term limits was a fundamental aspect of the 2016 reform aimed at limiting power and the rule introduced is clear: no FIFA President can serve more than three terms of office," Maduro said in a statement. "Trying to carve out an exception to such a rule for Mr Infantino reveals both a resistance to the principle of term limits and how some at FIFA conceive of rules not as rules but as obstacles to be circumvented."
The complaint comes as Infantino faces growing scrutiny after FIFA proposed creating a $20-billion subsidiary linked to its competitions, including the World Cup, to attract private investment; UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF last week called for a review of his conduct. Sources with knowledge of the situation said the three confederations viewed the letter as an opportunity for Infantino to quit with his dignity intact. Several national associations have voiced concerns: Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell told the BBC on Monday that his federation would not support Infantino's re-election, although Infantino retains the backing of the African and South American confederations and FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.
Infantino is expected to seek re-election for the 2027-31 cycle and the vote is scheduled to take place in Morocco on March 18.
