Infantino faces two complaints from the Norwegian Federation
Paris, AFP – FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the Swiss official besieged by criticism, faces allegations of potential abuse of power and conflicts of interest after the Norwegian Football Federation filed two formal complaints with two committees affiliated with FIFA.
The complaints center on three issues: Infantino’s aborted plan to open the World Cup to private-sector investors; the lifting of the suspension of American star Folarin Balogun for the 2026 World Cup following intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump; and FIFA’s awarding of the so-called “Peace Award” to Trump.
The second complaint is addressed to FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee and calls for an investigation into whether “the governance system, financial oversight, internal controls, and decision-making processes at FIFA have functioned as intended.”
Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, known for her bluntness and long-standing criticism of Infantino, told Britain’s The Times that Trump is the common denominator linking the three issues.
The main investor in the failed “FIFA Forward Enterprise” plan was to be a venture-capital firm owned by Josh Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Infantino’s plan, launched in July shortly after this year’s World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, would have allowed private investors to purchase stakes in a company established under the “FIFA Forward Enterprise” initiative.
A wave of protests following the announcement led Infantino to back down within days.
Klaveness told the newspaper: “FIFA Forward Enterprise is a governance issue, but it is linked to the other two cases due to the potential for a conflict of interest and abuse of office.”
She added: “There is a thread connecting these three issues, which is the political system itself.”
Balogun received a red card in the Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup, which automatically suspended him from the match against Belgium. However, FIFA lifted his suspension, sparking widespread condemnation, especially after it emerged that Trump had intervened via a phone call to Infantino.
Infantino’s presentation of the “FIFA Peace Award” to Trump in December was met with widespread ridicule. Klaveness said: “These are three very different issues in terms of facts, but they all share a common element that we want to be investigated.”
