Norway's soccer federation has called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign immediately, intensifying pressure on the embattled FIFA chief. The decision was made during a meeting on Thursday, as announced by federation president Lise Klaveness. This follows the fallout from Infantino's failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
"When trust is gone, leadership must also be assessed. We therefore believe that Gianni Infantino's time as FIFA President should be over, and ask him to resign," Klaveness said. The announcement comes amid ongoing disputes over the failed plan, which FIFA has since abandoned and apologized for.
UEFA, European soccer's governing body, reiterated on Thursday that its threat to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions remains in place, despite FIFA's backtracking. UEFA has expressed a loss of confidence in Infantino. Earlier this week, Infantino appeared to have quelled internal dissent during a summit with top staff in Rabat, Morocco, where FIFA reported he received full support.
However, UEFA's response, followed by Norway's direct call for resignation, shows that anger, particularly from Europe, remains strong. The English Football Association has also withdrawn its support for Infantino's re-election next March. Nevertheless, he has received backing from Mexico's federation.
The Norwegian federation said it would raise concerns with FIFA regarding FFE, the peace prize awarded to Donald Trump, and the suspension of Folarin Balogun's one-match ban at the World Cup. "FIFA needs new leadership to rebuild trust, strengthen good governance and ensure that the organization's own reforms are actually implemented," Klaveness said.