Calls for the resignation of FIFA President Gianni Infantino show no signs of subsiding, with the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) becoming the first national football association to formally demand his immediate resignation.
Infantino had appeared to stave off a potential internal revolt during a summit with senior FIFA officials in Rabat, Morocco, where the world football governing body said he received the full backing of those in attendance.
However, the NFF has now broken ranks, with its president, Lise Klaveness, accusing Infantino of losing the institutional trust needed to lead FIFA following controversies surrounding a proposed but ultimately abandoned plan to sell World Cup commercial stakes to private investors.
Klaveness said the ongoing governance concerns had pushed FIFA’s leadership beyond the point of no return.
“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,” she said after a meeting of the Norwegian federation’s governing bodies.
“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,” Klaveness added.
Meanwhile, European football’s governing body, UEFA, said its threat to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions remains in place despite FIFA abandoning and apologising for the controversial plan.
UEFA also reiterated its position that it has lost confidence in Infantino’s leadership.
