Norway Files Ethics Complaints Against FIFA President Infantino, Alleging Abuse of Power and Conflicts of Interest

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has escalated its long-running battle with FIFA President Gianni Infantino by lodging formal complaints with two separate FIFA committees, accusing the embattled Swiss official of potential abuse of power, conflicts of interest, and breaches of political neutrality.

The filings, submitted on Tuesday, represent one of the most direct challenges yet to Infantino's leadership from within FIFA's own membership. The first complaint calls on FIFA's Ethics Committee to scrutinize the conduct of Infantino and any other individuals who may be identified during an investigation, specifically examining whether they violated FIFA's Code of Ethics. The second is addressed to FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), asking whether the organization's governance structures, financial oversight, internal controls, and decision-making processes have functioned as intended.

Lise Klaveness, the NFF president and a persistent critic of Infantino, framed the three filings as interconnected. She identified U.S. President Donald Trump as the common thread linking the various allegations. Klaveness, a former international footballer known for her candid style, told British media that despite each case involving distinct facts, they share underlying themes that warrant independent scrutiny.

At the center of the controversy is the failed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan, which Infantino launched shortly after this summer's World Cup, cohosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The initiative would have permitted private investors to purchase stakes in a company established under the FFE framework. According to the source material, the venture capital firm of Josh Kushner—brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner—was positioned to become the chief investor in the ill-fated plan.

The proposal provoked immediate and widespread backlash, particularly from UEFA, which denounced it as "a shady and opaque backroom deal." Within days, Infantino was forced into what was described as a humiliating climbdown, abandoning the plan. Klaveness characterized the FFE episode as fundamentally a governance issue, but stressed its connection to the other cases through potential conflicts of interest and abuse of position.

A second matter under scrutiny involves FIFA's intervention in a disciplinary case during the World Cup. U.S. player Balogun received a red card in the last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, triggering an automatic suspension for the subsequent match against Belgium. FIFA stepped in to suspend the ban, a decision that drew widespread condemnation—especially after it emerged that Trump had personally phoned Infantino to intervene. The incident fueled accusations that FIFA's decision-making had been compromised by political pressure.

The third issue concerns the FIFA Peace Prize that Infantino presented to Trump in December, an award that has been widely criticized as inappropriate and politically motivated. Klaveness argued that the three cases, taken together, raise fundamental questions about whether Infantino's actions constitute an abuse of power, an abuse of position, or a breach of FIFA's commitment to political neutrality.

She further questioned whether FIFA's governance rules are being respected, noting that the FIFA Council is supposed to serve as the organization's strategic body, with the president holding no unilateral authority. The complaints aim to determine whether Infantino has overstepped those boundaries.

The complaints arrive amid a broader political battle over Infantino's future. Klaveness, 45, called on Infantino to resign in August and urged him to abandon his bid for a fourth and final term as president. The 56-year-old Swiss official has remained defiant, insisting he will seek re-election at a congress in Rabat next March. As of yet, no rival candidate has formally declared.

To secure re-election, Infantino must obtain a majority of the 211 votes from FIFA's member associations. The deadline for declaring a candidacy is November 18. Klaveness has stated she will not run, despite some observers—including Infantino's predecessor, Sepp Blatter—suggesting she would be well-suited to the role. Aleksander Ceferin, president of European football's governing body UEFA, has also said he is not interested in the position.

The most likely challenger is thought to be Victor Montagliani, the Canadian president of CONCACAF. Montagliani's confederation has joined UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in forming an anti-Infantino alliance. However, support for Infantino remains strong in other regions. Several AFC members, including 2034 World Cup hosts Saudi Arabia and 2022 hosts Qatar, have pledged loyalty to him. The African confederation CAF and South America's CONMEBOL have also expressed support.

The conflict has extended beyond FIFA's internal channels and into the courts. UEFA has filed a request with a court in Florida seeking access to documents related to Infantino's failed FFE plan, aiming to gather evidence for a potential criminal complaint in Switzerland, where both UEFA and FIFA are headquartered. FIFA responded by accusing UEFA of waging a "misinformation campaign" and attempting to "influence" the upcoming election.

Klaveness's complaints now place the matter before FIFA's own ethics and governance bodies, raising the question of whether the organization can credibly investigate its own president while he campaigns for another term. The outcome of those reviews—and the November candidacy deadline—will shape the contest ahead of March's presidential vote.