Norwegian FA president Lise Klaveness will report FIFA president Gianni Infantino to the governing body's Ethics Committee as European football intensifies pressure on the leader. UEFA has already pledged to boycott FIFA tournaments as long as Infantino remains in office.
Klaveness endorsed the boycott position following a monthly board meeting on Friday. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter is among those advocating for the 45-year-old former lawyer to succeed Infantino.
The complaint to the FIFA Ethics Committee, which has the power to impose bans from football, challenges a proposed sale of a £3.1billion stake in the World Cup to private investors. It also targets the decision to award an ad hoc FIFA Peace Prize to President Donald Trump and the suspension of Florian Balogun's World Cup red card following alleged political pressure from Trump.
"The board believes that we do not have confidence in Gianni Infantino. We did not have that in the last election and we do not have it now," Klaveness said. "There is no going back for Gianni Infantino. The international football community is very divided, and we must unite now."
Ethics complaint and resignation call
"We will ask the FIFA president to resign now. There is no doubt about it: there is a deep crisis in international football cooperation," Klaveness said. "Irreversible transgressions have occurred," she added regarding the decision to complain to the ethics committee, noting that "we have reached a situation where extraordinary measures are needed to create lasting change."
UEFA is leading the effort to dethrone Infantino as FIFA president. However, the Swiss football administrator appears to retain support from federations in Africa, South America and Asia, which is enough to fend off any leadership challenge.
Meanwhile, Mexico has broken ranks from CONCACAF's opposition to Infantino, reaffirming its confidence in the FIFA leadership. Infantino has shown no sign of relenting thus far after being supported by the governing body's hierarchy on Wednesday.
UEFA's current refusal to play in FIFA competitions will cause the governing body significant commercial problems. Those financial issues could potentially prompt Infantino to reconsider his position at the top of world football.
