Norway's soccer federation has officially called for the resignation of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, citing a loss of trust after his controversial proposal to privatize the World Cup. The federation's president, Lise Klaveness, stated that "there is no trust in Infantino now" and that "the trust is now gone for us, there is no way back for Infantino."
Infantino's plan, which would have allowed private investors to buy shares in the World Cup through a commercial subsidiary named FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), aimed to raise $4.2 billion. The proposal was based on an equity valuation of $20 billion for a 20% stake in FFE, with Thrive Capital, led by Joshua Kushner, reportedly spearheading the investor group. Joshua Kushner's brother, Jared Kushner, served as special envoy for former President Donald Trump.
Widespread Opposition to Privatization Proposal
The proposal faced significant backlash from major soccer confederations. UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, voted to boycott FIFA competitions if the plan moved forward and declared it had lost confidence in Infantino. Concacaf, representing North and Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation also rejected the proposal.
FIFA has since apologized and withdrawn the plan, acknowledging that "mistakes were made" but asserting that all actions were "in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework." Despite the withdrawal, Infantino continues to face criticism.
FIFA announced on Wednesday that its leadership met in Morocco, where the FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board reaffirmed their "full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino," emphasizing his status as the "only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations."
Infantino is scheduled for re-election in March.