Norwegian football federation calls for Infantino to resign
OSLO, Norway (AFP)—The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), among the fiercest critics of FIFA president Gianni Infantino for several years, will call for his resignation, its head Lise Klaveness said on Friday.
“He does not have the institutional trust required to lead FIFA in a stable manner in the current climate. There is no turning back for Gianni Infantino,” Klaveness told reporters.
“We are going to ask the FIFA president to resign now,” she said, a day after a meeting of the Norwegian federation’s governing bodies, which among other things examined the fate of the much-criticised FIFA chief.
He is standing for re-election for a fourth and final term next March.
President of FIFA since 2016 and currently the only declared candidate, Infantino must secure a majority of the 211 votes from the organisation’s members in order to be re-elected.
Candidates must declare by November 18.
The Italian-Swiss lawyer has come under enormous pressure since the failure of his plan — which was revealed last week — to open FIFA competitions, including the jewel in the crown the World Cup, to private investors.
“Given the chaos we find ourselves in, he can no longer be the figure capable of uniting people,” Klaveness told AFP.
Some, including his disgraced predecessor Sepp Blatter, have suggested Klaveness as a possible candidate to succeed Infantino — which would make her the first woman to head FIFA.
“She was the only one who always took a clear stand and did not go along with the mainstream. And at FIFA, the time is right for a woman to take the lead,” Blatter wrote on social network X.
“We’re not there yet,” Klaveness told AFP.
“For us, it’s now about the issues I just mentioned, and not about particular individuals.
“It would be strange for me to start answering questions about myself, and that goes for everyone,” the 45-year-old lawyer and former international footballer added.
The Norwegian federation has decided to refer three cases to FIFA’s ethics committee: the aborted plan to open up to private investors, the lifting of the suspension of US player Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup following an intervention by US President Donald Trump, and FIFA’s awarding of a so-called ‘Peace Prize’ to Trump.
It will also request a full review of the reforms to which Infantino had committed.
