Norway Files Ethics Complaints Against FIFA President Infantino Over Alleged Abuse of Power

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has formally lodged complaints against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, accusing him of potential abuse of power, conflicts of interest, and breaches of political neutrality. The filings, submitted to two separate FIFA committees, mark a significant escalation in the growing scrutiny facing world football's most powerful administrator.

According to reports, the first complaint was filed on Tuesday and formally requests that FIFA's Ethics Committee investigate the conduct of Infantino, along with any other individuals who may be identified during the course of the inquiry, for possible violations of the organisation's Code of Ethics. The second filing targets FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), asking it to assess whether the governing body's governance structures, financial oversight, internal controls, and decision-making processes have functioned as they were intended to.

Lise Klaveness, the outspoken president of the Norwegian Football Federation and a long-standing critic of Infantino, said the complaints stem from three distinct matters that she believes share a common thread. In comments to British media, she identified United States President Donald Trump as the connecting element across all three issues that prompted the Norwegian federation to act.

The most prominent of the three matters concerns the ill-fated FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which Infantino launched shortly after this year's highly successful World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States in July. The proposal would have permitted private investors to purchase stakes in a company established under the FFE initiative. Among those linked to the plan was the venture capital firm of Josh Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, which was reportedly slated to be the chief investor.

The proposal triggered an immediate and widespread backlash, particularly from European football's governing body, UEFA, which derided the plan as a "shady and opaque backroom deal." The intensity of the opposition forced Infantino into a humiliating retreat within days, and the plan was abandoned. Klaveness described the FFE episode as fundamentally a governance issue, but argued it is connected to the other two cases through potential conflicts of interest and abuse of position. She stated there is a clear line linking all three matters, which she characterised as involving the same political regime.

A second controversy arose from FIFA's handling of a suspension involving United States striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. Balogun received a red card in the last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which triggered an automatic suspension for the subsequent match against Belgium. FIFA intervened to suspend the ban, a decision that drew widespread condemnation, especially after it emerged that Trump had personally telephoned Infantino to intervene in the matter. Critics described the episode as emblematic of political interference in sporting governance.

The third matter cited by the NFF involves the FIFA Peace Prize that Infantino presented to Trump in December. The award has been widely criticised and is viewed by detractors as an inappropriate gesture that blurred the lines between sports governance and political favour. Together, these three episodes form the basis of Norway's request for a comprehensive examination of Infantino's conduct.

Klaveness, a former international footballer who has led the NFF since 2022, framed the complaints around a series of fundamental questions. She asked whether the conduct in question amounts to an abuse of power or position, whether it constitutes a breach of political neutrality, and whether it aligns with proper governance rules. She emphasised that the FIFA Council is supposed to function as the organisation's strategic body, and that the president should not wield unilateral authority.

The complaints represent the latest chapter in a strained relationship between Klaveness and Infantino. In August, the Norwegian federation president publicly called on Infantino to resign and to abandon his bid for a fourth and final term as FIFA president. The 56-year-old Swiss official has consistently maintained that he will seek re-election at a congress in Rabat next March, and so far no rival candidate has formally declared an intention to stand against him.

Infantino, who was first elected in 2016, must secure a majority of the votes from FIFA's 211 member associations to remain in office. The deadline for declaring a candidacy is November 18. Klaveness has stated she will not put herself forward as a candidate, despite some observers, including Infantino's predecessor Sepp Blatter, suggesting she would be well suited to the role. Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, has also said he has no interest in the position.

The most likely challenger is believed to be Victor Montagliani, the Canadian president of CONCACAF. His confederation has joined forces with UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to form an anti-Infantino alliance. However, the coalition is far from unified. While a significant number of UEFA's members have publicly withdrawn their support for Infantino, several AFC associations, including 2034 World Cup hosts Saudi Arabia and 2022 hosts Qatar, have pledged their loyalty to him. The African confederation CAF and South America's CONMEBOL have also expressed support for the incumbent.

The dispute has also moved beyond the confines of football governance and into the legal arena. UEFA has filed a request with a court in Florida seeking access to documents related to Infantino's failed FFE plan. The European body hopes to gather evidence that could support a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland, where both UEFA and FIFA are headquartered. FIFA responded by accusing UEFA of conducting a "misinformation campaign" and of attempting to improperly influence the upcoming presidential election.

The outcome of the Norwegian complaints remains uncertain, as FIFA's Ethics Committee and the GACC operate with varying degrees of independence from the organisation's leadership. Nevertheless, the filings add to the mounting pressure on Infantino as he prepares for what could be the most contested re-election bid of his tenure. The coming weeks, particularly the November 18 candidacy deadline, will be crucial in determining whether the opposition to his leadership can coalesce around a viable alternative or whether the incumbent's support base across Africa, Asia, and South America will prove decisive.