Norway Calls for FIFA President Infantino to Resign Amid Crisis

Published: 7 August 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing the biggest leadership crisis of his decade in charge of world football after Norway called for him to resign, while Mexico and Argentina moved to defend his presidency.

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has become the first major football association to openly demand Infantino’s departure after growing criticism over his leadership style, governance decisions and an abandoned plan to sell commercial stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors.

Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian FA and a former lawyer, said Infantino no longer had the confidence required to lead football’s global governing body.

“He does not have the institutional trust required to govern FIFA stably in the times we are in,” Klaveness said.

“There is no going back for Gianni Infantino. The international football cooperation is very much in trouble, and we must have a reason to get together now, and we want to ask the FIFA president to resign now.”

The Norwegian federation’s position goes further than recent criticism from several European football associations, including England, Wales, Croatia and Albania, which have withdrawn their support for Infantino but stopped short of directly calling for him to leave office.

The dispute centres around Infantino’s proposal to create the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a subsidiary that would have allowed private investment in FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.

The plan triggered widespread concern among several football bodies, particularly in Europe, which accused FIFA of attempting to make major financial decisions without enough transparency or consultation.

Infantino later abandoned the proposal following pressure from member associations and criticism from UEFA and other confederations.

FIFA acknowledged that mistakes had been made during the process, saying the organisation understood that members should not feel excluded from decisions affecting the future of football.

However, UEFA said the withdrawal of the proposal had not repaired its relationship with Infantino.

“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 governing body said.

The crisis has divided football leaders around the world, with some organisations demanding major changes while others continue to support Infantino.

Mexico, one of the hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has backed the president’s leadership despite criticism from UEFA and Concacaf, the governing body for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) said it supported Infantino’s efforts to strengthen football institutions and develop the sport globally.

“The FMF supports president Infantino’s leadership in continuing to promote the development of football through institutional strengthening,” the federation said.

Mexico also supported the argument that any attempt to remove the FIFA president should only happen through a formal vote involving all 211 FIFA member associations.

The stance follows a similar position from Conmebol, South America’s football governing body, which rejected any process to remove Infantino outside FIFA’s established structures.

Argentina, another major football nation and the 2026 World Cup runners-up, also defended Infantino’s record.

The Argentine Football Association praised the FIFA president for recognising mistakes and described his decade in office as focused on global football development and institutional stability.

Infantino’s supporters argue that his leadership has transformed FIFA’s finances, expanded investment programmes and increased funding available to national football associations.

They point to FIFA’s increased revenue and development initiatives as evidence that his presidency has strengthened the organisation.

Critics, however, say financial growth has come alongside concerns over decision-making transparency and the concentration of power within FIFA’s leadership.

Norway’s Klaveness highlighted several issues that have concerned her federation during Infantino’s presidency, including the awarding of tournaments, the creation of FIFA’s peace prize, and decisions involving individual players.

She also criticised the handling of a decision involving US forward Folarin Balogun during the recent World Cup, after a ban was overturned following a phone call from US President Donald Trump.

Klaveness said such incidents raised concerns about whether FIFA’s decision-making processes were sufficiently independent.

The leadership dispute has also created uncertainty over whether some European teams could boycott future FIFA competitions.

UEFA has warned that European nations may take further action unless guarantees are provided that similar commercial proposals will not be introduced again without proper consultation.

“Assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again,” UEFA said.

“These conditions have not been met.”

The English Football Association has formally withdrawn its support for Infantino, while several other European football bodies have taken similar steps.

Concacaf has also criticised FIFA’s approach, describing the investment proposal as a sign of leadership that had stopped putting football first.

However, the North American governing body has not gone as far as UEFA by declaring that it has lost confidence in Infantino.

The dispute has created unusual divisions between football regions. UEFA and Concacaf are among the strongest critics, while the Confederation of African Football (CAF) continues to fully support Infantino.

The Asian Football Confederation previously expressed solidarity with UEFA and Concacaf over concerns about the FFE proposal, adding further pressure on FIFA’s leadership.

Infantino, who became FIFA president in 2016 after the corruption scandal that damaged the reputation of the organisation, has faced criticism throughout his time in office but has also maintained strong support among many member associations.

His current term runs until 2027, and any challenge to his position would require significant support from FIFA members.

The growing dispute now raises questions about the future direction of global football governance.

While supporters argue that Infantino has brought financial stability and wider investment to the sport, opponents believe FIFA requires stronger accountability and more transparent decision-making.

The coming months are likely to determine whether the current criticism develops into a wider movement for leadership change or whether Infantino can rebuild support among football associations worldwide.

For now, FIFA remains divided, with Europe pushing for reform, some major football nations standing behind Infantino, and Norway becoming the first federation to openly demand that the president step aside.

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