Gianni Infantino Threatened With End of FIFA President Reign by Leaked Letter

A letter from the non-profit organization FairSquare has demanded FIFA rule that Gianni Infantino’s attempts to even stand for re-election as president be rejected on the grounds that the body’s past decree over eligible terms was wrong.

Infantino has found himself in the firing line since launching an ultimately doomed attempt to sell off stakes of future commercial rights for FIFA’s biggest tournaments, namely, the World Cup. The divisive president has since shelved those deeply unpopular plans, but his future as the head of world soccer’s governing body has now come into question.

Despite the public backing of FIFA’s upper hierarchy, or at least certain members of it who were called away to Morocco earlier this month, Infantino has inspired scathing criticism from the governing bodies of Europe (UEFA), Asia (AFC) and North, Central America and Caribbean (Concacaf). “We call for that unity to be honored now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it,” a joint-letter announced.

Nevertheless, Infantino has retained his posting and remains the only current candidate to stand in March’s elections which will decide FIFA’s next leader until 2031. FairSquare argue that he shouldn’t even be allowed the chance.

Infantino Accused of Being ‘Ineligible’ to Run for FIFA President Again

The heat is ramping up on Gianni Infantino. | Jaime SALDARRIAGA/AFP/Getty Images

FairSquare’s appeal to FIFA is simple. “We are writing to request that you‬ rule Mr. Infantino ineligible to run again for the FIFA Presidency on the basis that he is already serving‬ his third and final term,” a letter dated Aug. 13, 2026 reads, as quoted by The Athletic.

FIFA presidents can only serve three four-year terms. Infantino was elected in 2016 after the previous incumbent, Sepp Blatter, announced the premature end of his mandate in the face of FBI investigations into the organization’s finances. Infantino then won the 2019 and 2023 elections unopposed, which should, theoretically, make this his third and final term. But not in the eyes of FIFA.

Gianni Infantino’s FIFA Reign

Event	Date
First Elected	Feb. 26, 2016
Second Presidential Vote	June 5, 2019
Third Presidential Vote	March 16, 2023
Fourth Presidential Vote?	March 18, 2027

In December 2022, the FIFA Council announced that “the period between 2016 and 2019 does not count as a term of office for the current FIFA President, who is therefore about to end his first term.”

The argument presumably being made is that those years between 2016–19 saw Infantino bring a conclusion to the duration of Blatter’s final term, rather than strike out on his own. Some assumption has to made as the internal report regarding this decision was never made publicly available, according to FairSquare, who argue that this ruling violates the governing body’s own rules.

“Neither the FIFA Statutes nor the FIFA Governance Regulations make any provision for a‬ presidential term to be discounted because it did not last for the maximum period of four years,” FairSquare’s letter to FIFA argues. “The letter of the rule is clear and does not‬ provide for any exception based on the complete or incomplete nature of the term of office.”

Another argument is made that this ruling would allow a FIFA president to extend their tenure indefinitely. Based on the logic that Infantino’s first three years in the job “don’t count” because it wasn’t a full term, any president could theoretically call an election before the full four years have elapsed to instantly invalidate that ongoing term and allow them to stand again.

“In view of Mr. Infantino’s various abuses of‬ power and the failure of the FIFA Council to hold him to account, such a scenario is plausible,” FairSquare remarkably claim.

Will Infantino Be Allowed to Stand for Re-Election?

Despite FairSquare’s best efforts, it’s highly unlikely that FIFA will revoke its own ruling. The letter argues that the members of the committee which made the decision in Infantino’s favor back in 2022 have since changed and the new arbiters may have a different opinion.

Should FIFA accept that argument, then every decision made by any committee would be open to renewed scrutiny as soon as a single member changes. It’s a rabbit hole any organization, especially one as openly wedded to Infantino as FIFA, is unlikely to dive down.

Even if Infantino makes it to the polls, his position is so precarious it would be a major surprise if he actually wins the right for another term, be that his third or fourth.

In the event that the vast majority of UEFA, Concacaf and the AFC’s member associations back their confederation’s very public and firm anti-Infantino stance, there would be no majority available for the current incumbent. Despite the public backing from Africa, South America and Oceania, several individual nations will have done the same math and may also opt against a vote for Infantino: it’s in no one’s interests to back a losing horse.

The challenge for those opposing Infantino is finding a universally popular candidate before undertaking the rather more daunting task of actually enacting the widespread reform they have called for. Whether that critical eye is then turned inward is another matter entirely.

For all the criticism aimed at FIFA, none of its opponents are perfect either. UEFA made a very similar decision to FIFA in February 2024 when the first two years of Aleksander Čeferin’s reign as president were effectively struck off. After replacing Michel Platini midway through his mandate, Čeferin would be allowed to run for a fourth term in 2027.

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