Miguel Maduro's hearing could raise further ethical questions for Gianni Infantino ©Getty Images

An appearance by former FIFA Governance Committee chairman Miguel Maduro before the British Government's Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee was postponed until tomorrow as the Portuguese was unable to travel to London after his flight was cancelled.

The session was due to take place at 4pm local time today but has been rescheduled until 8:45am tomorrow.

The former Portuguese Government Minister was controversially axed from his role after only eight months in May and is expected to speak about his departure and working under FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

His departure came in controversial circumstances and his testimony is expected to raise further questions as to the conduct of Infantino during his tenure in charge of FIFA so far.

It had been reported that Maduro, replaced by former Chief Justice for the Indian High Court Justice Mukul Mudgal, was pushed out due to his decision to block Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko from standing for re-election to the ruling FIFA Council.

Mutko, his country's former Sports Minister, was barred from entering the race due to his role within the Russian Government.

In a statement, the Select Committee said the aim of this first evidence session for the Committee is to "explore the pressure and interference Maduro experienced at FIFA in relation to the well-known case of Mutko, and other cases that Maduro has yet to disclose".

Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbély, who led the Adjudicatory and Investigatory Chambers of the FIFA Ethics Committee respectively, will join Miguel Maduro at a Council of Europe hearing in Paris ©Getty Images
Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbély, who led the Adjudicatory and Investigatory Chambers of the FIFA Ethics Committee respectively, will join Miguel Maduro at a Council of Europe hearing in Paris ©Getty Images

"Some of the events leading to Maduro’s dismissal have been well publicised, but in the months since Maduro’s departure from FIFA, it has become clear that these represent only part of the interference in his role that Maduro encountered at FIFA," the statement added.

"The session also looks at the broader institutional attitudes toward reform within FIFA, including those held by senior FIFA officials."

Maduro's mandate as the head of the Governance Committee was not renewed by the FIFA Council, despite his appointment being hailed as crucial to the fight against corruption.

Hans-Joachim Eckert and Cornel Borbély, heads of the Adjudicatory and Investigatory Chambers of the FIFA Ethics Committee respectively, were also dismissed from their roles.

Infantino seemed to imply the reason for Maduro's departure was because of his European nationality.

This comes despite the fact that Tomaž Vesel, who is from Slovenia, was the only chairman of the five Independent Committees to retain his position for another four-year term.

Eckert and Borbély are due to join Maduro in discussing FIFA's governance at a Council of Europe hearing in Paris on September 22.