The Workers Rights 
FairSquare, a human rights organisation, has challenged Gianni Infantino’s expected bid for a third term as FIFA president, arguing that his first term should count toward the three-term limit set out in FIFA statutes. The intervention brings the issue of presidential term limits to the forefront of FIFA governance discussions ahead of next year’s Congress in Morocco.
FairSquare Questions Infantino Eligibility For Second Term
FairSquare has urged FIFA to disqualify Infantino from seeking a further term as president over the organisation’s statutory limit of three terms. The human rights organisation has put concerns before FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, bringing the issue within the formal governance framework of the governing body.
The issue is how FIFA interprets Infantino’s first term as president. He was elected in 2016 and completed Blatter’s interrupted term, before being re-elected for full terms.
FIFA’s Big Problem Is Presidential Term Limits
FIFA presidents can serve only a maximum of three terms under the statutes of the organisation. The term limits were part of broader governance reforms to increase institutional accountability and to avoid the concentration of power within FIFA.
Infantino’s eligibility is controversial because of the manner in which he was first elected. His election in 2016 followed Blatter’s resignation and was to complete a presidential term that was cut short.
Scrutiny On Interpretation Of Infantino’s First Term
The dispute concerns the first period of Infantino’s presidency. After Blatter’s resignation, he was elected in February 2016 and initially finished the existing presidential cycle.
He was later elected to a full term and was re-elected. FIFA holds the view that the period 2016-2019 does not count as one of the three presidential terms.
FIFA Council had already backed Infantino’s interpretation
In December 2022, FIFA’s council unanimously agreed that the period 2016-19 would not count as a presidential term for Infantino. That decision was the basis on which he remained eligible under FIFA’s interpretation of the statutes.
But now this move has become a huge bone of contention. FairSquare questioned the transparency of the ruling and said the reasoning for the interpretation was not explained well enough to the public.
FIFA’s Transparency In Governance Comes Under Fire
Another major element of the controversy has been transparency. FairSquare has also been critical of the absence of public reasoning behind FIFA’s 2022 decision on Infantino’s first mandate.
Governance rules mean more than a decision, the organisation says. Clear explanations are especially important where an interpretation affects the length of a president’s time in office and the operation of a statutory term limit.
FIFA Congress 2027 To Vote On Future Of Presidency
Infantino is expected to seek another term covering the 2027-31 cycle at FIFA’s Congress in Morocco. The dispute over eligibility is an increasingly pressing issue ahead of the vote, which is due to take place on March 18, 2027.
FIFA’s presidential election will be conducted in the formal setting of the Congress. However, before that point, governance bodies may face questions over whether Infantino meets the organisation’s term-limit requirements.
Concerns From Several Football Bodies
The term-limit row comes as Infantino’s leadership is under wider scrutiny. Recent calls by UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF for a review of his conduct have followed FIFA’s proposal to create a major investment structure linked to its competitions.
The proposal reportedly featured the creation of a $20 billion subsidiary tied to FIFA events like the World Cup to attract private investment. The concerns of the three confederations raised another governance issue in the debate over FIFA’s leadership.
Infantino Retains Support Before Fifa Vote
But the criticism is countered by strong backing for Infantino from key elements of the world game. Backed by support from South American and African football authorities, he could get a major political boost ahead of the 2027 vote.
Support across confederations and a broad network of national associations is important for FIFA’s presidential elections. Infantino has spent years building links with football organisations across continents, and those ties could be key to his re-election campaign.
Fairsquare: Fifa Governance Shielded By Term Limits
The crux of FairSquare’s argument is that presidential term limits are an institutional safeguard. The organisation said allowing the first term of Infantino’s presidency to fall outside the limit could undermine the restriction on executive power that was intended.
The general idea behind term limits is to prevent anyone from monopolising power and to promote the renewal of leadership. At an international sporting organisation as powerful as FIFA, the rules governing the way it is run can have implications far beyond a single election.
Miguel Maduro Questions Exemption From Fifa Rules
Miguel Maduro has joined the chorus that FIFA should not disregard its own term-limit rules. His former role as head of FIFA’s independent Governance and Review Committee strengthens the governance element of the complaint.
Maduro has called the principle of presidential term limits a key element of the reforms introduced in 2016. He believes the rules should be binding provisions, not obstacles that can be sidestepped with special interpretations.
Fifa Faces A Key Decision Ahead Of The 2027 Election
The challenge is another major governance test for FIFA ahead of the 2027 Congress. FairSquare’s arguments and the prior Council decision, as well as the statutory interpretation, should be taken into account by the organisation.
FIFA had not responded to a request for comment in the source material. The 2022 interpretation remains the basis for Infantino’s eligibility absent a new public response.
Debate Over Infantino Re-Election Spills Into Football Politics
The battle over Infantino’s possible re-election has ramifications beyond the immediate FIFA presidency. It also raises larger questions about the balance struck by international sports organisations between continuity of leadership and institutional checks on executive power.
FIFA governs one of the largest football networks globally and some of the most popular sporting competitions. Its determinations on its leadership and governance therefore draw the attention of national associations, regional confederations, civil society and football stakeholders.
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