Norway's football federation has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign after his failed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, with NFF president Lise Klaveness declaring there is no trust left in his leadership.
Key facts
- The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) will ask Gianni Infantino to resign with immediate effect.
- Norway is the first federation to directly call for the FIFA president to step down.
- The call follows Infantino's aborted attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors under the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme.
- NFF president Lise Klaveness said 'there is no way back for him'.
- Mexico and Argentina have backed the FIFA president, according to the BBC.
The Norwegian Football Federation has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign with immediate effect, becoming the first national federation to directly demand that he step down. The decision was made in a meeting of the NFF on Thursday night, according to the Guardian.
The call comes after what the Guardian described as Infantino’s doomed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The controversy centres on his Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, which the outlet reported has come to a head as a crisis for the governing body.
NFF president Lise Klaveness delivered a blunt assessment of Infantino’s position. ‘There is no way back for him,’ she said, adding that ‘there is no trust now.’ The Guardian reported that recent events had taken any faith in FIFA’s leadership ‘beyond the point of no return’.
Norway has consistently taken a lead in efforts to scrutinise FIFA’s governance, the Guardian noted, positioning the federation as a persistent critic of how the organisation is run. Its latest intervention marks a significant escalation from scrutiny to an outright call for resignation.
Despite Norway’s stance, Infantino is still battling for support around the world. According to the BBC, Mexico and Argentina have backed the FIFA president, indicating that support for his leadership remains among some federations even as pressure mounts.
Al Jazeera also reported that Norway’s football federation had called on Infantino to resign, underscoring the international attention the dispute has drawn. As of the reports, Infantino remains in his position while the divide between federations plays out publicly.
Why it matters
FIFA governs the world's most popular sport, and a public call for its president to resign signals a serious rift among the national federations that make up the organisation. The dispute over selling World Cup stakes to private investors raises questions about the commercial direction and governance of football's flagship tournament.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Norway want Infantino to resign?
According to the Guardian, the Norwegian Football Federation called for Infantino's resignation following his aborted attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors under the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, saying trust in FIFA's leadership had gone beyond the point of no return.
Is any other federation backing Norway's call?
The sources do not report other federations joining Norway's call. In fact, the BBC reports that Mexico and Argentina have backed the FIFA president.
Has Infantino stepped down?
No. The sources indicate Infantino remains FIFA president and is still battling for support around the world, according to the Guardian.