Norway call for Infantino to resign as Mexico and Argentina back president

Norway Leads Call for Infantino’s Resignation as Latin American Nations Rally Behind FIFA President

Constantvpn.com – Norway has emerged as the most vocal critic of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, becoming the first national federation to explicitly demand his departure from office. The call comes in the wake of Infantino’s failed attempt to secure private investment for the World Cup through a controversial stake sale proposal. While European football’s governing bodies have withdrawn their confidence, two major South American and North American nations have thrown their support behind the 56-year-old Italian administrator.

Norway’s Unambiguous Position

Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation and a qualified lawyer, delivered a forceful statement on Friday outlining why Infantino must step down. Her position goes beyond the measured responses from England, Wales, Croatia, and Albania, all of which have withdrawn support without going so far as to call for resignation.

“He [Infantino] does not have the institutional trust required to govern Fifa stably in the times we are in,” Klaveness stated. “There is no going back for Gianni Infantino. The international football cooperation is very much in trouble, and we must have a reason to get together now, and we want to ask the Fifa president to resign now.”

Klaveness outlined several specific concerns that have accumulated during her four-year tenure at the Norwegian FA. These include questions surrounding tournament allocation decisions, the controversial awarding of the inaugural FIFA peace prize to former US President Donald Trump in December, and the subsequent reversal of a disciplinary ban against American forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup following a phone call from Trump.

Regarding next steps, Klaveness indicated that Norway would not pursue an extraordinary UEFA board meeting but would instead pursue resignation through direct dialogue with FIFA. “We will see which other countries eventually join in, if that becomes the strategy from the Uefa board,” she explained.

Mexico and Argentina Break with Regional Opposition

In a significant development, the Mexican Football Federation broke ranks with its regional governing body, Concacaf, to express support for Infantino. Concacaf, which oversees football across North and Central America and the Caribbean, had called for a “comprehensive reckoning” of Infantino’s presidency following the aborted stake sale plans.

Mexico, co-host of the 2026 World Cup alongside the United States and Canada, issued a statement affirming its backing: “The FMF [Mexican FA] supports president Infantino’s leadership in continuing to promote the development of football through institutional strengthening.”

South America’s Conmebol echoed this position, stating it would reject any attempt to remove Infantino without a vote involving all 211 FIFA member associations. However, Conmebol did “express its concern about the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or the institutional mechanisms provided for dealing with this type of situation.”

Argentina, runners-up in the 2026 World Cup qualification race, offered particularly warm praise for Infantino. The Argentine FA described his decade-long presidency as “centred on the development of soccer worldwide and institutional strength based on a clear, stable, and transparent governance model,” while acknowledging his recent apology for his “errors.”

Global Divide Over Infantino’s Leadership

The football world remains split on Infantino’s future. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unanimously backed the president, while European and North American bodies have grown increasingly critical. UEFA has already declared it has lost confidence in Infantino, characterizing the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal as “a shabby, back room, opaque deal.”

The English FA formally withdrew its support through a letter, joining Wales, Albania, and Croatia in turning their backs on the Italian administrator. Concacaf described Infantino’s proposal as “a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first,” noting that “this recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour.”

Before Infantino withdrew his proposal, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced it stood “in solidarity” with UEFA and Concacaf in opposition to the plans.

Implications for FIFA’s Future

Under normal circumstances, Infantino would not be eligible to stand for re-election in March. FIFA statutes limit the maximum tenure to three four-year terms, and Infantino has been working to extend his time in office through the controversial stake sale mechanism. European teams maintain that they could still boycott the World Cup if UEFA’s conditions are not met, despite the proposal’s withdrawal.

The situation highlights deeper tensions within global football governance about transparency, accountability, and the balance of power between confederations. As more nations consider joining Norway’s call for resignation, the question of who might replace Infantino if he steps down has moved to the forefront of international football discourse.