Norway's football federation has filed formal complaints against FIFA president Gianni Infantino over three incidents it says point to possible abuse of power and conflicts of interest — a World Cup sell-off scheme, a FIFA Peace Prize created for Donald Trump, and a waived World Cup ban. The filings, announced on October 6, 2026, are the most direct challenge yet to Infantino's leadership, five months before he faces re-election.
The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), led by president Lise Klaveness, made two parallel filings. The first goes to FIFA's Ethics Committee, asking it to examine "the conduct of Infantino and any other individuals identified through the investigation for potential breaches of Fifa's code of ethics." The second goes to the Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, asking whether FIFA's governance, financial oversight, internal controls, and decision-making worked as they should.
The three incidents
1. The World Cup sell-off scheme. Shortly after the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, FIFA unveiled a plan to sell minority stakes in a new entity — FIFA Forward Enterprise — that would run FIFA tournaments including the World Cup. The lead investor was Joshua Kushner, brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The plan went ahead without FIFA Council consultation, drew a boycott threat from UEFA, and was withdrawn on August 5, 2026. Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom later signed a letter apologizing for "mistakes."
2. The FIFA Peace Prize for Donald Trump. Infantino created the prize in 2025 and presented it to Trump — without Council consultation. Human-rights group FairSquare lodged an ethics complaint in December 2025 alleging "four clear breaches" of neutrality rules; Norway formally backed it in June 2026. Klaveness has argued the prize had "no basis in the FIFA Congress… no legitimacy, and it is clearly outside FIFA's mandate."
3. Folarin Balogun's waived ban. USA striker Balogun was sent off at the 2026 World Cup; Trump then publicly claimed he called Infantino to ask for a review — and FIFA cleared Balogun to play the USA's round-of-16 match against Belgium. Infantino insists he had no influence, saying the decision rested with disciplinary committee chairman Mohammad al-Kamali of the UAE. Balogun himself later admitted on CBS Mornings that he knew the decision would cause controversy.
Infantino's side
Infantino and FIFA have pushed back. On the Balogun case, FIFA has said its "judicial bodies are independent… They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA Disciplinary Code." Trump said of his call: "All I did was ask for a review. I didn't say, you have to do this." On the Peace Prize, Infantino said in February 2026 that Trump "objectively" deserves it and that "whatever we can do to help peace in the world, we should be doing it." On the sell-off scheme, the Infantino-Grafstrom letter "sincerely" apologized for the errors and committed to a review. He also has backing from federations including Mexico and Argentina, and has argued his project seeks to democratize football's growth across all 211 member associations.
The takeaway: a federation in open revolt
This did not come from nowhere. Norway called for Infantino's resignation on August 7, 2026; the Nordic bloc — Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands — withdrew confidence; England, Wales, Ireland, and New Zealand have also voiced disagreement. With the complaints now formally before FIFA's own committees, the question Klaveness put at the center — "is it an abuse of power, an abuse of position? Is it a breach of political neutrality?" — will be answered by the very system she says failed to stop it. The verdict lands in the shadow of the March 2027 Congress, where Infantino seeks another term.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0