# 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 **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-08-07 · heads: · 6 takes · 5 lenses · 6 regions ## 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 ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Reuters wire report framing this as a global football standoff, noting Infantino's allies from the Global South and developing federations rallied behind him while European federations demanded he go - **Reuters / Wixx** (International, en) — Reuters framed the crisis as football headed for a prolonged standoff: Infantino's allies, concentrated in Latin America and other Global South federations, are holding firm behind the FIFA president while Norway and other European associations are pressing for his resignation over what they call a failed and unaccountable leadership. > "Football appeared to be headed for a prolonged standoff on Friday as allies of FIFA President Gianni Infantino rallied behind him while Norway demanded his resignation." Source: https://wixx.com/2026/08/07/soccer-mexico-argentina-back-infantino-as-fifa-fight-rages-on/ ### US wire pickup of the Norwegian demand, framing Infantino as an "embattled" FIFA president facing mounting pressure, without significant counter-voice from Infantino's camp - **ABC News US** (United States, en) — ABC News ran the Norway demand prominently as a sign of Infantino's weakening grip on European football, calling him 'embattled' and noting Norway's call for immediate departure, though it did not detail the specific complaints beyond a 'failed World Cup plan'. > "Norway's soccer federation wants Gianni Infantino to step down immediately, piling more pressure on FIFA's embattled president." Source: https://abcnews.com/Sports/wireStory/norways-soccer-federation-calls-gianni-infantino-resign-failed-135449945 ### Turkish news outlet; cited Norwegian FA president Klaveness directly, naming her and her stated reason, a "complete loss of trust," without adding regional analysis - **aNews Turkey** (Turkey, en) — aNews Turkey was among the first to name Lise Klaveness directly as the Norwegian FA president making the resignation call, citing her statement of 'complete loss of trust' in Infantino's leadership as the explicit rationale, with no editorial framing added. > "Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness called for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's resignation, citing a complete loss of trust in his leadership." Source: https://www.anews.com.tr/sport/2026/08/07/norway-football-federation-calls-on-fifa-chief-to-resign-over-failed-world-cup-plan ### Pan-European broadcaster; provides the fullest split map, naming Mexico and Argentina as backing Infantino and charting the divide geographically across FIFA's global membership - **Euronews** (European Union, en) — Euronews mapped the Infantino divide most explicitly, naming Mexico and Argentina as backers and detailing which European associations had joined Norway in calling for his exit, framing it as a structural North-South fault line inside global football governance rather than a personal dispute. > "The Norwegian Football Association has called for Infantino to resign while Mexico and Argentina have come out in support of the beleaguered FIFA boss." Source: https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/07/the-great-infantino-divide-who-is-for-and-against-the-controversial-fifa-chief ### unlabelled - **TSN Canada** (Canada, en) — Source: https://www.tsn.ca/soccer/fifa-world-cup/article/norways-soccer-federation-calls-on-infantino-to-resign-over-failed-world-cup-plan/ - **Radio New Zealand** (New Zealand, en) — Source: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/934446/gianni-infantino-s-fifa-allies-rally-as-norway-demands-resignation ## Across the graph - Related: [[infantino-congress-0728]] --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ko/n/fifa-infantino-resign-0807