Norway Files Complaints Against FIFA, Accusing President Infantino of Abuse of Power

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has filed three formal complaints with two FIFA committees, accusing President Gianni Infantino of signs of abuse of power and conflicts of interest.

According to sources, the first complaint was submitted on Tuesday, asking the FIFA Ethics Committee to examine the conduct of President Gianni Infantino and any other individuals identified through investigation, should signs of violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics be found.

The second complaint was sent to FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), questioning whether FIFA's governance system, financial oversight, internal controls and decision-making processes are operating as designed.

The three issues forming the basis of the complaints are: Infantino's plan to open the World Cup to private investors, which was scrapped; FIFA's lifting of the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun at the 2026 World Cup after intervention by US President Donald Trump; and FIFA's awarding of its Peace Prize to Trump.

NFF President Lise Klaveness, a long-time critic of Infantino, told British media that Trump is the thread connecting all three issues. According to her, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan was launched right after the World Cup co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, allowing private investors to buy shares in a company set up under the FFE initiative. The venture capital firm of Josh Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, is said to have been the main investor in the plan.

The plan met fierce opposition, forcing Infantino to withdraw it within days. Klaveness said FFE is a governance issue, but is linked to the other two cases in terms of potential conflicts of interest and abuse of position.

The Balogun case stemmed from the striker's red card in the round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which led to an automatic suspension for the match against Belgium. FIFA then intervened and suspended the ban, drawing widespread criticism, especially after reports that Trump had called Infantino. The FIFA Peace Prize that Infantino awarded to Trump in December also drew a sharp backlash.

Klaveness questioned whether this amounted to abuse of power, abuse of position, a violation of political neutrality, or conduct incompatible with governance rules, given that the FIFA Council should be the strategic body and the president should not hold unilateral power.

Disinformation campaign

In August, Klaveness, 45, called on Infantino to resign and not run for a fourth term. Infantino, 56, a Swiss national, has said he will run again in Rabat next March, and so far no other candidate has declared. He needs a majority of the 211 member votes to be re-elected; the candidacy deadline is November 18.

Klaveness said she will not run, although some observers, including former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, believe she is suited to lead FIFA. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has also said he is not interested.

UEFA has repeatedly criticized Infantino and FIFA, calling the FFE plan a "murky and opaque backroom deal." The most likely opposition candidate is said to be CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani of Canada, as the body has formed an alliance with UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) against Infantino.

However, although many UEFA members have publicly withdrawn support for Infantino, some AFC federations such as Saudi Arabia, host of the 2034 World Cup, and Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup, remain loyal to him. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and South America's CONMEBOL also support him.

UEFA has also filed a lawsuit in a Florida court to access documents related to Infantino's failed plan, hoping to gather evidence for a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland, where both UEFA and FIFA are headquartered. FIFA responded by accusing UEFA of launching a "disinformation campaign" and seeking to "influence" the election.