Norway calls on FIFA’s Infantino to resign as Europe’s boycott threat holds

Norway's soccer federation on Friday formally called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign, escalating a leadership crisis that has split global football into warring camps after his failed attempt to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness said the decision came after a board meeting on Thursday. "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."apnews+1

The move follows UEFA's confirmation on Thursday that its threat to boycott all FIFA competitions remains in place despite Infantino's public apology earlier in the week. "UEFA made it abundantly clear in its statement on Saturday that it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's presidency. That position holds," the European body said.sports.yahoo+1

The Failed Privatization Scheme

The crisis stems from Infantino's plan to create a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would have managed broadcasting, sponsorship, and ticketing for the World Cup and other tournaments. FIFA sought to sell a 20 percent stake in FFE, valued at $20 billion by JP Morgan JPMorgan Chase & Co. ↗ 0.34%, to an investor consortium led by Thrive Capital, the venture capital firm run by Joshua Kushner — brother of Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law. The deal aimed to raise $4.2 billion.dazeddigital+1

The plan collapsed after FIFA's own Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour publicly criticized it in a statement to the Associated Press, calling it "the project of one person." Infantino abandoned the proposal on August 1 but has refused to step down.ap+1

A Global Divide

While Europe has closed ranks against Infantino, other parts of football's world have rallied behind him. The Confederation of African Football on Thursday unanimously reaffirmed its support, and on Friday both Mexico's football federation and Argentina's broke ranks with their respective regional bodies — CONCACAF and CONMEBOL — to back the FIFA president.aa+1

Mexico's federation said it "supports President Infantino's leadership in continuing to promote the development of football through institutional strengthening," directly contradicting CONCACAF's call for a "comprehensive reckoning" with his presidency.aljazeera+1

What Comes Next

Infantino is scheduled to stand for re-election at a FIFA Congress in Morocco in March. He needs 106 votes from FIFA's 211 member associations to win. Even if he loses all 55 UEFA votes and CONCACAF's 35, he could still prevail — but the race now appears far less certain than before the World Cup.dazeddigital

Norway's federation said it would also file a new ethics complaint against Infantino covering the FFE scheme, the FIFA Peace Prize awarded to Donald Trump, and the suspension of a one-match ban for U.S. forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. England, Wales, Sweden, and Croatia have also withdrawn their backing for Infantino's re-election.aljazeera+1

"We have reached a situation where extraordinary measures are needed to create lasting change," Klaveness said.apnews