Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) president Lise Klaveness has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign, intensifying the leadership crisis engulfing world football following the collapse of FIFA’s controversial commercial rights proposal.
Speaking after the NFF’s monthly board meeting on Friday, Klaveness said Infantino had lost the institutional trust needed to continue leading football’s global governing body.
“He does not have the institutional trust required to govern FIFA stably in the times we are in,” Klaveness told reporters.
“There is no going back for Gianni Infantino. International football cooperation is very much in trouble, and we must have a reason to get together now. We want to ask the FIFA president to resign.”
The latest intervention adds further pressure on Infantino after FIFA abandoned plans to sell a 20 percent stake in a new commercial rights entity, a proposal that triggered widespread criticism from confederations and member associations over the lack of consultation.
Klaveness said Norway would continue pressing its position directly with FIFA while remaining in regular contact with UEFA over the next steps.
“We talk to UEFA a lot. We are not going to ask for an extraordinary meeting. We will ask him to resign in our dialogue with FIFA,” she said.
The former Norway international also outlined a series of governance concerns the NFF has raised with FIFA since she became president in 2022.
Those included the awarding of tournaments, FIFA’s decision to present its inaugural Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, and the lifting of a suspension imposed on United States forward Folarin Balogun during the recent World Cup.
Klaveness has frequently criticised FIFA’s leadership in recent years and has emerged as one of several names mentioned as a possible successor to Infantino. However, she dismissed speculation that she could stand in the next FIFA presidential election.
“My name has been mentioned, but it is not something we are discussing. We have no reason to comment on any candidacy at this stage,” she said.
