Former Fifa Governance Committee chair: Infantino cannot stand

Maduro pointed to paragraph two of Article 33 of the Fifa Statutes, noting that no one may serve more than three terms as president. In his view, Infantino has been elected three times and has already served three terms, so another presidency is ruled out.

FairSquare had previously asked Fifa to decide that Infantino cannot stand for re-election. Infantino, however, argued that his first term, which began with his election at an extraordinary congress after Sepp Blatter resigned in 2016, was an interrupted process and should not be counted. In December 2022, the Fifa Council unanimously confirmed that the period between 2016 and 2019 would not count as a term, but FairSquare points out that this reasoning has never been made public.

Maduro said the rule's text contains no exception for short periods. Infantino's chances of being re-elected were strengthened last month when the head of Asian football backed his candidacy. Maduro also argued that the bodies meant to oversee the powers of the Fifa president have lost their independence and that the current system of checks and balances is not working.