Pressure Mounts on Infantino as Norway Becomes First Football Association to Demand His Resignation

Pressure on FIFA President Gianni Infantino has intensified after the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) became the first national football association to formally call for his immediate resignation.

The demand comes amid continuing fallout from Infantino’s controversial and subsequently abandoned proposal to bring private investors into FIFA’s World Cup commercial operations.

Infantino had appeared to contain the possibility of an internal revolt following a summit with senior FIFA staff in Rabat, Morocco, where FIFA said those in attendance expressed their full support for the president.

However, the Norwegian federation has now escalated the crisis by publicly declaring that Infantino no longer has the institutional confidence required to continue leading world football.

NFF President Lise Klaveness said the controversies surrounding FIFA’s leadership had reached a point where Infantino could no longer effectively unite the organisation.

“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 said following a meeting of the Norwegian federation’s governing bodies.

Klaveness confirmed that Norway would formally ask the FIFA president to step aside.

“We are going to ask the FIFA president to resign now. Given the chaos we find ourselves in, he can no longer be the figure capable of uniting people.”

The latest intervention follows fierce opposition to Infantino’s now-abandoned proposal to sell stakes in FIFA’s World Cup commercial interests to private investors.

The plan triggered resistance from within international football, with critics raising concerns about FIFA’s governance, transparency and the potential consequences of allowing private investors to acquire an interest in some of football’s most valuable commercial assets.

Infantino eventually withdrew the proposal following the mounting backlash.

Despite the decision to abandon the plan, the controversy has continued to threaten his leadership.

European football governing body UEFA has maintained that it has lost confidence in Infantino and said its threat to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions remains in place despite FIFA withdrawing and apologising over the failed proposal.

The Norwegian federation’s intervention represents a significant escalation because it is the first national association to formally demand Infantino’s resignation.

Infantino, however, appeared to retain support among senior FIFA officials following the meeting in Morocco, setting the stage for a wider battle over his leadership as pressure from European football continues to grow.

The FIFA president now faces mounting scrutiny over whether he can rebuild confidence among member associations and football confederations following one of the most serious governance controversies of his tenure.