The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has formally asked FIFA to investigate Gianni Infantino over alleged breaches of its ethics and governance rules, citing three separate controversies involving the FIFA president.
The complaints, filed with FIFA’s Ethics Committee and Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), concern Infantino’s abandoned plan to attract private investment into FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), the lifting of Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension following an intervention by US President Donald Trump, and FIFA’s decision to award Trump a Peace Prize.
The NFF’s ethics complaint asks for an examination of Infantino’s conduct, as well as that of any other individuals identified during the investigation, for possible breaches of FIFA’s Code of Ethics.
Its second complaint asks whether FIFA’s governance structures, financial oversight, internal controls and decision-making procedures operated as intended.
NFF president Lise Klaveness, a former Norway international and outspoken critic of Infantino, told The Times that the three cases were linked by their connection to the Trump administration.
“The line between all these three cases is the same political regime,” Klaveness said, arguing that the FFE proposal in particular raised potential questions about conflicts of interest and abuse of position.
The FFE plan was launched shortly after the 2026 World Cup, which was co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. It proposed allowing private investors to acquire stakes in a company established under the initiative.
Josh Kushner’s venture capital firm, whose founder is the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was reportedly lined up as the project’s chief investor. The proposal faced strong opposition before Infantino abandoned it days after its announcement.
Another issue concerns Balogun, whose red card during the United States’ last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina initially triggered an automatic suspension for the following match against Belgium.
FIFA subsequently lifted the suspension, prompting criticism after it emerged that Trump had contacted Infantino by phone.
The third complaint relates to the Peace Prize FIFA presented to Trump in December, a decision that has attracted widespread criticism.
Klaveness said the NFF wanted FIFA to determine whether the incidents involved an abuse of power or position, breached political neutrality or undermined the FIFA Council’s role as the organisation’s strategic decision-making body.
The complaints come ahead of FIFA’s presidential election scheduled for March in Rabat. Infantino, first elected in 2016, has confirmed he will seek a fourth and final term. Candidates have until November 18 to declare their intention to run.
Norway has previously called for Infantino to step aside, while UEFA has also criticised FIFA over the FFE proposal and is seeking access to related documents through legal proceedings in Florida.
FIFA has rejected UEFA’s approach, accusing the European body of conducting a “misinformation campaign” and attempting to influence the presidential election.
