Six Nordic football associations have withdrawn their confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, intensifying pressure on the FIFA chief and adding to growing calls for changes to the governance of world football.
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands issued a joint statement after meeting in Helsinki on Sunday, backing calls from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF for Infantino to step down. The associations also demanded an independent investigation into FIFA’s governance and the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
The statement represents another significant challenge to Infantino as he seeks a fourth term as FIFA president at next year’s election. Denmark’s football association has already pledged to search for a credible alternative candidate.
The Nordic associations said they had serious concerns about FIFA’s governance and decision-making at senior level, calling for safeguards to ensure that the organisation and its competitions cannot again be opened to private ownership.
Their intervention follows a dispute over FIFA Forward Enterprise, a proposed subsidiary that Infantino presented in July as a way of increasing the commercial value of FIFA competitions and directing more money towards football development.
FIFA said the proposal could have increased development funding substantially. Its plan envisaged raising FIFA Forward funding from $8 million per member association during the 2023-26 cycle to $20 million for 2027-30, with additional funding potentially available through the Fast Forward programme.
However, the proposal generated strong opposition from several of FIFA’s regional confederations and national associations. FIFA subsequently abandoned the project, with Infantino saying the proposal had created divisions that were no longer compatible with its original objective of strengthening football globally.
The Nordic associations are now seeking more than the withdrawal of the commercial plan. They want an independent external investigation into the circumstances surrounding FIFA Forward Enterprise and a wider review of FIFA’s governance framework.
They said the review should assess whether FIFA’s structure provides sufficient independence, checks and balances, transparency and accountability in line with the reforms adopted by the organisation in 2016.
The development adds to an increasingly public split between Infantino and several influential football administrators.
UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF have all backed calls for Infantino’s resignation, while the three confederations have discussed the possibility of a vote of no confidence. A number of senior football officials have also withdrawn their support for the FIFA president in recent weeks.
UEFA has been particularly critical of the abandoned commercial proposal. After FIFA withdrew the plan, European football’s governing body said the scheme had been rejected unanimously by its national associations and argued that restoring confidence in FIFA required deeper governance changes.
FIFA, meanwhile, has maintained that Infantino retains the support of the organisation’s leadership. Following a meeting in Rabat earlier this month, FIFA said its secretary general and members of the management board had reaffirmed their full support for Infantino, describing him as the official elected by FIFA’s 211 member associations.
Infantino has also continued his international programme despite the criticism. He was in the Dominican Republic on Sunday for meetings with Caribbean football officials and a youth tournament supported through FIFA’s development programme.
His presence had drawn criticism from CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, who had asked Infantino not to attend the youth event because of concerns that the FIFA president’s involvement would overshadow the tournament. Infantino defended his decision to attend, saying engagement and dialogue remained important to the development of football.
The Nordic associations’ statement therefore adds another bloc of national federations to the growing opposition surrounding Infantino’s leadership. With the FIFA presidential election approaching, the dispute is increasingly centred not only on the future of the FIFA president but also on how the global game’s governing body should be run.
For Infantino, who has led FIFA since 2016 and is seeking another term, the loss of support from six Nordic associations represents a further setback as calls for greater transparency and stronger institutional checks gather momentum.
