Norway's football federation calls on FIFA president Infantino to resign, as Mexico and Argentina back him
Norway's Football Federation president Lise Klaveness called on August 7 for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign immediately, citing a complete loss of trust in his leadership after several European associations withdrew their support; Mexico and Argentina publicly backed Infantino, deepening a North-South divide inside world football
أضف إلى قائمة
لا قوائم بعد.
Summary
Norway's Football Federation president Lise Klaveness called on August 7 for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to resign immediately, saying her federation had lost complete trust in his leadership. The call follows several European football associations withdrawing their support from Infantino over what Norwegian and European critics describe as a failed World Cup expansion plan and accountability failures. Mexico and Argentina publicly backed Infantino, cementing a pattern in which federations from the Global South and Latin America support him while European associations increasingly do not. Football governance appeared to be heading into a prolonged standoff, with no emergency FIFA congress scheduled.
The split
The divide is geographic as much as it is about specific grievances. Euronews mapped it most clearly: European associations with strong governance traditions, including Norway, cite accountability failures and a specific failed plan; Latin American federations, led by Mexico and Argentina, back Infantino as a FIFA president who has expanded the World Cup, brought record revenues, and treated all continental confederations as equals. Neither camp has a clear procedural path to force or block a resignation without a FIFA congress.
By the numbers
- 1 federation formally demanding resignation on August 7: Norway's Football Federation
- 2 federations named as backing Infantino: Mexico and Argentina
- 0, the number of emergency FIFA congresses scheduled as of August 7
Why it matters
FIFA's presidency is the most powerful position in global sport governance, overseeing revenues of several billion US dollars annually and the 2026 World Cup, which is currently being hosted jointly by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A leadership crisis at this stage of the tournament's operational cycle could affect commercial contracts, broadcasting rights, and host-country coordination.
What to watch
- Whether additional European football federations join Norway's resignation call in the coming days
- Any formal demand for an extraordinary FIFA congress, the only body that can remove Infantino
- Infantino's public response and whether he seeks renewed mandate from African and Asian federations
- The specific "failed World Cup plan" that Norway's call references, and whether it becomes the focus of a formal investigation