Pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino intensified on Thursday as the Norwegian football federation publicly called for his resignation, saying it no longer had any confidence in his leadership.
Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian federation, confirmed the decision following an internal meeting, describing a total breakdown of trust that had been building for years. "We decided that there is no trust in Infantino now," Klaveness told The Guardian. "We have been worried consistently and there has been one more step in worrying direction every year, every part of the year. The trust is now gone for us, there is no way back for Infantino."
The fresh criticism comes in the wake of Infantino's abandoned plan to sell stakes in World Cup revenues through the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a scheme that provoked widespread backlash before being scrapped last week. Despite the plan's collapse, anger among several national federations and confederations has not subsided.
UEFA reiterated on Thursday that it still has no confidence in Infantino and repeated its threat to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. The European governing body's stance, combined with Norway's explicit call for the FIFA president to step down, highlights how deep the discontent runs, particularly across Europe.
England's Football Association and the Football Association of Wales have also withdrawn their support for Infantino's re-election, which is due to take place next March. The mounting opposition follows a summit in Rabat, Morocco, earlier this week, where Infantino appeared to have contained an internal revolt, with FIFA claiming he retained full staff support.
According to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the Norwegian federation now plans to file a new complaint with FIFA's ethics committee. The complaint is expected to cover not only the failed FFE proposal but also the peace prize awarded to Donald Trump and the controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's World Cup ban.
"We have reached a situation where extraordinary measures are needed to create lasting change," Klaveness said, signalling that Norway intends to escalate its campaign against Infantino beyond public statements.
Despite the wave of criticism from European federations, Infantino continues to enjoy backing from other parts of the football world. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) voiced its support for the FIFA president on Thursday, while both Mexico and Argentina have also indicated they want him to remain in charge.
Notably, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had criticised Infantino last week over the failed sell-off plan, adding to the sense that his position, while still intact, is increasingly contested across different regions of the sport.
The growing rift illustrates a broader divide within global football governance, with European federations pushing hardest for accountability while other confederations rally behind the incumbent president. With Infantino's re-election bid approaching next March, the coming months are likely to see further maneuvering from both his supporters and critics as the FIFA ethics committee weighs the new complaint from Norway.
For now, FIFA has not issued a fresh response to Norway's latest call for resignation, though the federation's ethics committee is expected to review the accusations in due course.
Based on reporting from The Independent.