Norway Demands Infantino Resignation as Mexico and Argentina Back FIFA Chief

Norway has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign, going further than football associations in England, Wales, Croatia and Albania who have withdrawn support but stopped short of demanding he step down.

Norway's Statement

Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness said on Friday: He does not have the institutional trust required to govern FIFA stably in the times we are in. There is no going back for Gianni Infantino. Klaveness cited several concerns raised during her four-year tenure, including questions around tournament awards, the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize awarded to US President Donald Trump in December, and the overturning of a ban on American forward Folarin Balogun during the recent World Cup following a phone call from Trump.

Mexico and Argentina's Support

Meanwhile, the Mexican Football Federation broke ranks with its regional governing body Concacaf to back Infantino. The MFF statement said it supports Infantino's leadership in continuing to promote football development. Argentina and South America's governing body Conmebol also declared they would reject any attempt to remove Infantino without a vote involving all 211 FIFA member associations.

Background

The crisis stems from Infantino's aborted plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors, which triggered widespread backlash from football federations across Europe and beyond. Concacaf, which oversees football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, had already called for a comprehensive reckoning of Infantino's presidency. Infantino is 56 years old.