FIFA Leadership Crisis

The Norwegian Football Federation has called for the immediate resignation of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, declaring a complete loss of confidence in his leadership. NFF President Lise Klaveness said the federation will ask Infantino to step down now, adding that "there is no turning back."

The move follows Infantino's failed attempt to sell shares in FIFA tournaments to private investors, a plan he withdrew within days under pressure from UEFA. National associations including England, Sweden, Wales and Serbia withdrew their letters of support, though the FIFA leadership closed ranks after a crisis meeting and the NFF has referred three separate matters to FIFA's ethics committee.

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has suggested Klaveness as a possible successor. Infantino needs a majority of 211 member federation votes to secure re-election next March.

UEFA has confirmed it made a severance payment and funded an MBA for a former employee alleged to have been in a relationship with Gianni Infantino during his tenure as general secretary. The European football body acknowledged the departure payment and business school fees but maintained the settlement complied with regulations in place at the time, which have since been tightened.

An investigation alleges the woman received a six-figure sum and was personally promoted by Infantino to a senior role before then-UEFA president Michel Platini reportedly issued an ultimatum over the situation. Infantino, who worked at UEFA from 2000 until 2016, has categorically denied the allegations through a FIFA spokesperson, calling them untrue.

The claims emerge as Infantino faces scrutiny over his leadership and aborted plans to sell World Cup stakes to private investors.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino traveled to Cali, Colombia, to attend the inauguration of far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella, arriving alongside CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez. Before the evening ceremony at the Arena USC, Infantino met with children and young athletes from local sports academies, accompanied by Colombian Football Federation President Ramón Jesurún and local officials.

The trip comes as Infantino faces a deepening power struggle within FIFA triggered by his failed attempt to sell World Cup shares to private investors. UEFA has sharply criticized the plan and continues to hold open the possibility of a World Cup boycott.

The fallout has intensified in recent days. The Norwegian Football Federation, led by President Lise Klaveness, demanded Infantino's immediate resignation, while the national associations of England, Sweden, Wales, and Serbia have withdrawn their letters of support.

The Mexican Football Federation broke ranks with CONCACAF to publicly endorse FIFA President Gianni Infantino, deepening a global divide over the sport's leadership. Argentina's football association also declared outright support for Infantino, while the Confederation of African Football unanimously backed his leadership.

CONMEBOL rejected any attempt to oust Infantino without a vote of all 211 FIFA members, opposing institutional measures that bypass established mechanisms. The backlash erupted after Infantino proposed selling commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA events to private investors, a plan later abandoned. FIFPRO called the proposal a profound abuse of presidential power.

UEFA confirmed it stands by its vote to boycott FIFA competitions, while Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness called for Infantino's resignation. The Asian Football Confederation stood with UEFA and CONCACAF, though several Asian nations including Qatar and Indonesia expressed support for Infantino.

Spain and Portugal have reaffirmed their commitment to co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Morocco, dismissing political calls to strip the North African nation of its organizing role. Spanish Sports Minister Milagros Tolón rejected speculation that the final could be held in Morocco, saying she is confident FIFA will select Spain to host the championship match, likely at Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu or Barcelona's Camp Nou.

The Portuguese government rejected an appeal by the Livre party to withdraw from the partnership, while in Spain, the Vox party filed a legislative initiative in Congress demanding Morocco's exclusion, citing mass migration incidents in Ceuta. Left-wing coalition partners Sumar and Podemos have also called for Morocco's removal.

The controversy follows a report alleging FIFA President Gianni Infantino promised Morocco the final in exchange for support ahead of his 2027 reelection bid — a claim FIFA has denied. Morocco is building the 115,000-seat Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca, while opening matches are planned in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

UEFA confirmed on Thursday it will maintain its boycott of all FIFA tournaments, dismissing an apology from the global governing body as insufficient after FIFA abandoned its plan to sell minority stakes in the World Cup.

Despite FIFA acknowledging mistakes in the process surrounding the now-scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise venture and Infantino sending a letter of apology to member federations, UEFA said its conditions have not been met. European football's governing body demands formal withdrawal of the sale proposals and binding guarantees that no similar attempts will be made.

Internal dissent at FIFA has surfaced, with Secretary General Mattias Grafström calling the episode "a sad and reproachable series of events" and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour strongly criticising the plan. The English FA has withdrawn its support for Infantino, while UEFA said it has lost confidence in his leadership.

Former Portugal international Luís Figo has called for the resignation of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, branding his conduct "the lowest, most deceitful, most cowardly and selfish" he had ever witnessed. Figo took to the X platform to demand Infantino step down, accusing him of dishonouring the office through deception.

The backlash follows Infantino's abandonment of the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which would have allowed minority private investment in competitions including the World Cup. The proposal drew fierce opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, and AFC, as well as European leagues that had already filed a formal complaint with the European Commission over FIFA's conflict of interest. The football associations of Wales, Serbia, and Sweden have withdrawn support for Infantino's re-election bid.

Infantino, first elected in 2016, has convened an emergency meeting with senior FIFA officials in Rabat, Morocco on Wednesday. FIFA's head of global football development, Arsène Wenger, said the withdrawal of the investment plan was "absolutely necessary" and confirmed he had no involvement in it.