08/07/26 05:27:00
Printable Page
08/07 05:26 CDT Norway's soccer federation calls on Gianni Infantino to resign
over failed World Cup plan
Norway's soccer federation calls on Gianni Infantino to resign over failed
World Cup plan
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
MANCHESTER, England (AP) --- Norway's soccer federation wants Gianni Infantino
to step down immediately, piling more pressure on FIFA's embattled president
Friday.
Infantino is facing a revolt after his failed plan to sell stakes in the World
Cup.
The Norwegian federation held a meeting on Thursday and president Lise
Klaveness said the decision had been made to ask Infantino to resign.
"We decided that there is no trust in Infantino now," Klaveness told the
Guardian. "We have been worried consistently and there has been one more step
in worrying direction every year, every part of the year. The trust is now gone
for us, there is no way back for Infantino."
The announcement is the latest blow for Infantino as the fallout continues over
his controversial plan to sell profits in the World Cup through a commercial
subsidiary called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
European soccer's governing body UEFA said Thursday its threat to boycott the
World Cup and other FIFA competitions remained in place despite FIFA abandoning
and apologizing for its failed plan.
It reiterated its stance that it had lost confidence in Infantino.
Earlier this week Infantino appeared to have held off the potential of an
internal revolt during a summit meeting with top staff in Rabat, Morocco.
FIFA said the president had been given the full support of those in attendance.
But UEFA's response, followed by Norway's direct call for him to resign shows
the sense of anger from Europe, in particular, remains strong.
The English Football Association has also withdrawn its support for Infantino's
re-election next March.
Norwegian broadcaster NRK said the national federation would also file a new
complaint with FIFA's ethics committee, which will include FFE, the peace prize
awarded to Donald Trump and the suspension of Folarin Balogun's one-match ban
at the World Cup.
"We have reached a situation where extraordinary measures are needed to create
lasting change," Klaveness said.
___
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
|
