The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has formally expressed support for a complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, alleging violations of the organization's rules on political neutrality. Speaking at a press conference on June 10 (local time) before the national team departed for the World Cup, NFF President Lise Klaveness confirmed that a letter of support had been officially submitted. She acknowledged that the move has sparked political tension within the world football governing body's leadership.
Earlier, Klaveness had called on FIFA to cancel the FIFA Peace Award to uphold the organization's political neutrality. FIFA faced fierce criticism after awarding its inaugural prize to US President Donald Trump during the draw for the 2026 World Cup last December.
The complaint was filed by human rights organization FairSquare with FIFA's ethics committee, objecting to Infantino giving the "peace award" to Trump. The NFF has asked the committee to assess whether the FIFA president breached rules on political neutrality through the award and related actions.
"We have sent the letter, and it is causing some political reactions," Klaveness told reporters. "But it has been sent and noted. We will follow up, push the process, request meetings, and build momentum once the World Cup is over."
Klaveness revealed that FIFA officials had responded to the NFF's stance during a meeting last weekend in Budapest, coinciding with the Champions League final.
"There is no doubt the letter was seen as problematic coming from a member association," Klaveness said. "But it was a good meeting, and we had constructive discussions about why it was seen as problematic and why Norway values supporting FairSquare on this issue."
The NFF sent the letter independently, without pressuring other member associations to join the formal complaint. Klaveness affirmed: "We have received support from other federations, but we sent this letter alone."
Al Jazeera has contacted FIFA for comment but has not received a response.
