Human rights group FairSquare has written to FIFA demanding Gianni Infantino be ruled ineligible for the 2027 election, according to reports from ‘The Athletic’.
The organisation argues that Infantino is on course to breach term limit regulations, as a victory in 2027 would secure him a fourth mandate. Under current FIFA statutes, presidents are restricted to a maximum of three terms in office.
Infantino has long maintained that his initial period in power, which began in 2016, should not be counted as it was originally part of Joseph Blatter’s tenure. Consequently, the Swiss-Italian lawyer insists that the 2027 vote would only constitute the start of his third official term.
FairSquare has hit out at the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, which in 2022 advised the FIFA Council that Infantino’s first stint should be disregarded simply because he served three years rather than a full four-year cycle before the subsequent election was called.
The advocacy group warns that such a precedent creates a plausible loophole, whereby any future FIFA president could theoretically trigger early elections to reset the clock and remain in power indefinitely.