REUTERS: Six Nordic football associations delivered a united blow to Fifa President Gianni Infantino on Sunday, declaring they had lost confidence in his leadership while demanding sweeping governance reforms at world football’s governing body.
The six Nordic Fifa members — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands — met in Helsinki and issued a rare joint statement backing calls for Infantino’s resignation from three major regional confederations.
They also supported demands for an independent investigation into his controversial proposal to sell a stake in events like the World Cup to private equity investors, a plan that was quickly abandoned in the face of global backlash.
“The six Nordic football associations have lost confidence in Fifa’s president and are concerned about the organisation’s governance and decision-making at the highest level,” they said in a statement.
“The Nordic football associations stand united with UEFA and support the measures that the organisation and its national member associations have jointly proposed.
“We expect Fifa to provide binding guarantees that the organisation’s governance or competitions will never again be opened up to private ownership.”
Reuters has contacted Fifa for comment on the statement.
On Friday, Denmark’s football association (DBU) vowed to find a credible alternative to Infantino in next year’s election.
Infantino is under pressure from three confederations to resign, including Europe’s UEFA, Asia’s AFC and Concacaf, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The sport’s regional powerhouses have also discussed a potential vote of no confidence against the Fifa chief.
“We also support the demand made by AFC, Concacaf and UEFA that a fully independent external investigation into the events surrounding the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal be established,” the Nordic FAs added.
