As part of its Reboot campaign, FairSquare has written directly to FIFA member associations and called on them to declare Gianni Infantino ineligible to run again for the FIFA presidency in 2027, noting that a fourth term for Infantino would violate the FIFA statutes and leave football’s world governing body “in a state of legal uncertainty.” Reboot is also encouraging supporters to write to their national federations and urge them to declare Infantino ineligible, using a tool available at rebootfifa.com.
Included in the letter that FairSquare sent to the member associations of October 30 was a copy of the complaint that FairSquare filed with FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, the independent FIFA Committee that is charged with reviewing the eligibility of candidates for the FIFA Presidency, on 13 August. The letter, which was drafted with the assistance of Professor Miguel Maduro, a former head of the FIFA Governance Committee, outlines why an apparent decision taken in December 2022 to discount Infantino’s first three-year term as counting as a presidential term clearly violates the letter and purpose of FIFA’s rules on term limits, and circumvented the authority of the FIFA Congress.
FIFA has never published any reasoning to support the apparent decision, which has effectively introduced an unjustifiable and dangerous exception to a rule aimed at restraining executive power. The decision to discount Infantino’s first term of office is clearly unlawful, a view that is supported by independent legal experts such as Malte Frank, who warned immediately after FIFA’s decision that it “violates the FIFA statutes in both form and substance and is therefore most likely void”. As a result, member associations can challenge not only the decision but also the upcoming presidential election, which would leave the football community in a state of legal uncertainty.
The three members of the Review committee, Bruno Chiomento, Chris Mihm, and Molly Rhone, replied to the FairSquare complaint on 18 August and said that they would “read and consider the points FairSquare raises in due time.” On 2 November, Le Monde described Bruno Chiomento, the chair of the Governance Committee, as “a key figure in Gianni Infantino’s grip on FIFA” and noted that he has “approved the recent tax, financial, and material benefits that the FIFA president and his wife have received… including FIFA’s payment of all taxes owed by Mr. Infantino in the United States for the years 2024, 2025, and 2026.” Le Monde also reported that UEFA’s Secretary General Theodore Theodoridis expressed “concerns regarding the independence and impartiality of the chairman of the electoral committee, Mr. Chiomento” in a letter sent on 19 October 2026 to FIFA’s Secretary General. According to Le Monde, Theodoridis asked in his letter whether FIFA was considering Mr Chiomento’s “recusal” and “replacement by his deputy for the duration of the [presidential] election”.
The Reboot campaign is asking people to write to their national football federations and urge them to declare Infantino ineligible. Under the FIFA Statutes, they too have an obligation to follow the rules, even if FIFA’s senior leadership does not. Go to https://rebootfifa.com/email/ and enter your details. Reboot will find your member association and provide an email draft ready for you to send.
