Six Nordic nations declare no confidence in FIFA chief Infantino

Six Nordic football associations declared on Sunday that they have "lost confidence" in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, issuing a joint statement that deepens the crisis engulfing world football's governing body over a failed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.

The associations from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands met in Helsinki and released the statement backing calls for Infantino's resignation from three major regional confederations — UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF.aljazeera+1

A United Front

"The six Nordic football associations have lost confidence in FIFA's president and have serious concerns about the governance and high-level decision-making of the organisation," the statement read. "We expect FIFA to provide binding assurances that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership."sports.yahoo+1

The Nordic federations also called for "a fully independent external investigation into the events surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal" and urged FIFA to initiate "a comprehensive and independent review of its governance framework".rte+1

Most Nordic nations had already individually indicated they would not back Infantino's re-election at the FIFA Congress in Morocco in March. On Friday, Denmark's football association pledged to find a credible alternative to Infantino in that presidential election.flashscore+2

Mounting Pressure

The Nordic statement adds to a wave of opposition that began after Infantino's plan to sell stakes in a commercial subsidiary running FIFA tournaments — including the men's and women's World Cups — was revealed last month. The proposal reportedly involved a $20 billion stake sale to an investment company led by Joshua Kushner. It was abandoned after a global backlash.ouresquina

On August 10, UEFA, CONCACAF, and the AFC issued a joint open letter accusing Infantino of a "fundamental breach of trust" and "deception," according to Reuters. Norway FA president Lisa Klaveness last week accused Infantino of "management by fear" after FIFA removed its chief operating officer Kevin Lamour.espn+2

Infantino Defiant

Despite the growing opposition, Infantino — who is seeking a fourth term until 2031 — remained defiant. He traveled to the Dominican Republic this weekend to meet officials of the Caribbean Football Union during a youth tournament, despite CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani asking him to stay away.aljazeera

"It's important to engage, to have a dialogue, to express views and opinions," Infantino said.aljazeera

Real Madrid and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold also weighed in on the controversy, telling the Mirror: "I just don't think that's something that's appropriate… it's a football institution that should remain that way and not something that's shared and owned by different people".mirror