Norway demands Infantino resignation as FIFA governance crisis deepens

The Norwegian Football Federation has formally called for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign, escalating a governance crisis following the collapse of his proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. NFF President Lise Klaveness stated that Infantino lacks the institutional trust required to govern FIFA stably, marking a significant departure from the stance of other European associations that have merely withdrawn support.

Klaveness outlined specific grievances during dialogue with FIFA, citing concerns over the awarding of tournaments, the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize awarded to US President Donald Trump, and the overturning of a ban for American forward Folarin Balogun following a phone call from the former president. She emphasised that the international football cooperation is in trouble and that an extraordinary UEFA board meeting is not required, as the demand for resignation is being pursued directly through bilateral channels.

While Norway, England, Wales, Croatia, and Albania have withdrawn their support for Infantino, a split has emerged across the global football community. The Mexican Football Federation broke ranks with its regional body, Concacaf, to publicly back Infantino’s leadership. Mexico argued that any process to remove him must involve a vote of all 211 FIFA members, a stance echoed by Conmebol, which rejected attempts to oust the president outside of the institutional framework despite expressing concern over unilateral actions.

Argentina also voiced support for Infantino, praising his decade-long tenure as centred on institutional strength and transparent governance. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously backed the president, contrasting with the position of UEFA, which maintains it has lost confidence in his leadership. UEFA described the aborted FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal as a shabby, back-room deal and warned that a World Cup boycott remains possible if assurances are not made that such attempts to commercialise the game will not recur.

FIFA executives acknowledged mistakes regarding the FFE process during a meeting in Morocco, stating there was no intention to exclude member associations. Infantino had previously offered all associations $40 million in exchange for backing the private investment plan. Despite the proposal being withdrawn and errors admitted, the political fallout continues to reshape the alliances within world football’s governing bodies.