Norway Calls For Infantino’s Resignation As FIFA Faces Growing Opposition

Norway’s Football Federation has called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign, intensifying growing opposition to his leadership following the collapse of a controversial proposal to privatise stakes in World Cup-related commercial interests.

Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness made the call on Friday, citing what she described as a serious loss of institutional trust in FIFA’s leadership.

“We ask the FIFA president to resign now,” Klaveness declared, pointing to a series of controversies surrounding Infantino’s presidency, including disputed tournament awards, the FIFA Peace Prize presented to US President Donald Trump, and the reversal of the suspension of US international Folarin Balogun following a phone conversation involving the FIFA president.

The latest challenge comes after Infantino was forced to withdraw plans for a proposed $40 million-per-association private investment scheme linked to FIFA’s commercial operations.

While the proposal has been abandoned, tensions between FIFA and several of its continental and national associations remain high.

UEFA has threatened a possible boycott of the World Cup, insisting that its concerns over FIFA’s leadership have not been addressed despite the withdrawal of the investment proposal.

“Conditions have not been met,” UEFA said, maintaining pressure on Infantino and his administration.

The opposition has, however, exposed a sharp divide within global football.

Mexico has broken ranks with regional governing body Concacaf to publicly support Infantino, while the Argentine Football Association has also backed the FIFA president, praising what it described as a decade focused on football development while acknowledging his apology over recent “errors”.

In Africa, football authorities have continued to express unanimous support for Infantino, providing him with a significant bloc of backing amid the growing resistance elsewhere.

However, opposition in Europe and North America has gathered momentum, with England, Wales, Croatia and Albania among the national associations joining the criticism of the FIFA leadership.

The widening dispute places Infantino under his strongest political pressure since becoming FIFA president, with questions over institutional trust, governance and the organisation’s commercial ambitions now threatening to overshadow preparations for the next World Cup.

For now, the FIFA president retains substantial support in Africa and parts of the Americas, but the increasingly public split with European football has created a major leadership challenge for the 56-year-old.