Nordic associations say they have lost confidence in Infantino
Six football associations from Nordic countries have said they have lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino and called for sweeping reforms to the governance system of world football. Representatives of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands issued a joint statement after a meeting in Helsinki.
As Channel NewsAsia reports, citing Reuters, the six associations backed calls from three regional confederations for Infantino to resign. They also supported a demand for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding a proposal to sell private equity investors a stake in events such as the World Cup.
Governance guarantees
In their statement, the associations said they were concerned about FIFA's governance and decision-making at the highest level. They expressed solidarity with UEFA and supported the steps proposed by the organisation and its national members.
The associations expect FIFA to provide legally binding guarantees that the organisation's governance system or its competitions will no longer be open to private ownership. The aforementioned plan to involve private capital was quickly withdrawn amid global criticism, according to Reuters.
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In addition, representatives of the Nordic countries supported the demand by the Asian Football Confederation, CONCACAF and UEFA for a fully independent external investigation into the events surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.
Calls ahead of elections
The six associations also called on FIFA to conduct a comprehensive independent review of its governance system. In their view, it should determine whether the current model ensures the independence, checks and balances, transparency and accountability set out in FIFA's 2016 reform programme.
Infantino, who is seeking re-election for a fourth term in next year's election, could lead FIFA until 2031. Earlier, the Danish Football Association said it would seek a credible alternative to the current FIFA president. Reuters contacted FIFA for comment on the associations' statement.
