Calls to Ban Infantino from Running
FairSquare has filed a formal request with FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee to declare President Gianni Infantino ineligible for the 2027 elections.
FairSquare has filed a formal request with FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee to declare President Gianni Infantino ineligible for the 2027 elections.
On Monday, August 17, 2026, the organization FairSquare sent a formal request to FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, seeking to have current president Gianni Infantino declared ineligible for a new candidacy in the 2027 elections. According to reports from The Athletic and Reuters, FairSquare argues that the 56-year-old Swiss is already serving his third and final permitted term, and that any new candidacy would constitute a violation of FIFA's Statutes.
Infantino first took the helm of FIFA in February 2016, following the corruption scandal that ended Sepp Blatter's era. He was subsequently re-elected in 2019 and 2023. The key point of contention is how the period from 2016 to 2019 is counted.
In 2022, FIFA decided that this period would not be treated as a full term, as Infantino was completing a term he had taken over from Blatter. Under this interpretation, the period from 2019 to 2023 is considered his first full term, and the current term until 2027 as his second, which would allow Infantino to seek another term and remain at the helm of the organization until 2031.
FairSquare, however, believes that the periods 2016-2019, 2019-2023, and 2023-2027 are three separate terms, and that the current one is also the last permitted. "Neither FIFA's Statutes nor the governance regulations provide for the possibility of disregarding a presidential term simply because it did not last the maximum four years," states the letter, which The Athletic had access to.
In the letter addressed to FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, FairSquare explicitly requests: "We ask that you declare Mr. Infantino ineligible for a new candidacy for the presidency of FIFA, as he is already serving his third and final term. The earlier decision by the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee not to count his first term clearly violates the letter and spirit of the FIFA Statutes' provision on presidential term limits."
The organization further warns that a different interpretation of the rules could set a dangerous precedent, allowing the FIFA president to formally circumvent term limits by calling early elections. FairSquare also notes that the detailed reasoning behind FIFA's 2022 decision has never been publicly disclosed, raising questions about the transparency of the entire process.
The new request comes at a time when Infantino is under increasing political pressure within world football. FairSquare had already filed a separate request with FIFA's Ethics Committee in December, alleging that political neutrality had been violated on multiple occasions, and the Norwegian Football Federation later supported that request.
Meanwhile, major continental confederations have openly opposed Infantino. UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC have jointly criticized his leadership in recent weeks, and the failed plan to sell stakes in FIFA's tournaments to private investors has also sparked further controversy.
Infantino is currently the only one who has announced his candidacy for next year's elections. If FIFA's competent committee accepts FairSquare's arguments, his candidacy could be halted before the race even begins. A final decision on his eligibility has not yet been made, and FIFA must decide whether to maintain its previous interpretation of the rules or reconsider Infantino's first period at the helm of the organization.
