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

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has filed formal complaints against embattled FIFA President Gianni Infantino to two FIFA committees, accusing him of a potential abuse of power and conflict of interest. The filings center on Infantino's aborted plan to open up the World Cup to private investors, the lifting of US forward Folarin Balogun’s suspension at the 2026 World Cup following an intervention by United States President Donald Trump, and FIFA’s awarding of a so-called Peace Prize to Trump.

The first filing, submitted on Tuesday, asks the Ethics Committee to examine the conduct of Gianni Infantino and other identified individuals for potential breaches of FIFA’s Code of Ethics. The second filing targets FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) to review whether governance, financial oversight, internal controls, and decision-making processes functioned as intended.

Lise Klaveness, the NFF’s president and a long-time critic of Infantino, noted that Donald Trump serves as the common thread across all three issues. The venture capital firm of Josh Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared, was slated to be the chief investor in the ill-fated FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan. Launched shortly after the July World Cup co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US, the plan would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in a company created under the FFE initiative, though subsequent backlash forced Infantino into a swift climbdown.

Klaveness also highlighted the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun’s red card during the last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which initially resulted in an automatic suspension for a match against Belgium. FIFA intervened and suspended the ban after it emerged that Donald Trump had phoned Infantino, drawing widespread condemnation. Additionally, the FIFA Peace Prize presented by Infantino to Trump in December has faced extensive criticism.

Klaveness previously called upon Infantino in August to resign and forgo his bid for a fourth and final term. Despite facing mounting opposition—including an anti-Infantino alliance formed by UEFA, CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Confederation—Infantino insists he will seek re-election in Rabat next March, while retaining support from confederations such as CAF and CONMEBOL. UEFA has also taken legal action in Florida to access documents related to the failed FFE plan, prompting FIFA to accuse UEFA of running a misinformation campaign to influence the election.