Six Nordic football associations demand Infantino’s resignation

Six Nordic football associations have withdrawn their confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino and called for him to resign. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands announced the position after meeting in Helsinki on Sunday, adding to pressure on Infantino before FIFA’s next presidential election.

The Nordic associations also supported resignation demands made by UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF. They said FIFA’s governance and decision-making at the highest level had raised serious concerns, and called for major changes to the way world football’s governing body is run.

They want an independent investigation into Infantino’s proposal to let private equity investors take stakes in major FIFA events, including the World Cup. That plan was dropped after strong opposition, but the Nordic bodies said FIFA should guarantee that its competitions and governance will not again be exposed to private ownership.

The six associations further called for an external inquiry into the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. They also requested a broad, independent examination of FIFA’s governance framework, focusing on independence, checks and balances, transparency and accountability. Those principles formed part of the reforms adopted by FIFA in 2016.

Infantino is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president, which would keep him in office until 2031. He is currently in the Dominican Republic, where he has held discussions with Caribbean Football Union officials during an under-14 youth tournament.

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani had asked Infantino to stay away from the youth competition. Infantino defended his presence by pointing to the importance of engaging with regional officials and the role of the FIFA Forward programme in helping competitions such as the tournament take place. FIFA had not responded to the Nordic associations’ statement.