Nordic football federations have jointly said they have lost confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, calling for an independent investigation into the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise project and a broader review of how world football’s governing body is run. The statement was agreed by the football associations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands during a meeting in Helsinki and published on 23 August.
The six associations said they viewed FIFA’s governance and decision-making at the highest level “with great concern”. Their intervention places the Nordic federations firmly alongside UEFA and other continental bodies that have challenged Infantino after the collapse of a proposal that would have opened part of FIFA’s commercial operations to external investment.
Nordic football federations demand an independent investigation
At the centre of the dispute is FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE, a proposed subsidiary that would have consolidated FIFA’s commercial and event operations.
FIFA said the company would remain under its control, while external investment would provide additional funding for its member associations. Under the proposal, every FIFA member could have received an additional USD 20 million through a voluntary development programme.
The project nevertheless faced strong opposition over the involvement of private investors and the process through which it had been developed. According to Reuters, the plan involved selling a 20 percent stake in a commercial entity managing FIFA tournament rights to private investors.
On 31 July, after days of criticism, Infantino announced that the proposal would not proceed. He said the project had created divisions that were no longer compatible with its original purpose.
The Nordic associations now support calls by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Concacaf and UEFA for a fully independent external investigation into what happened around FFE.
They are also asking FIFA for binding guarantees that its governance or competitions will not again be opened to private ownership.
FIFA’s governance rules are also under scrutiny
The Nordic statement goes beyond the abandoned commercial proposal. The six associations want FIFA to commission a comprehensive independent examination of its governance framework.
The review should establish whether FIFA’s rules still provide the independence, checks and balances, transparency and accountability that were intended when the organisation adopted its reform programme in 2016, following the corruption crisis that had engulfed world football’s governing body.
The Nordic federations said they stand together with UEFA and support the measures proposed jointly by the European body and its member associations.
UEFA had already welcomed FIFA’s decision to withdraw FFE at the beginning of August. It said its national associations had unanimously rejected the proposal and argued that rebuilding confidence in FIFA would require further action.
Opposition to Infantino is becoming an issue ahead of the 2027 election
The Nordic declaration comes as opposition to Gianni Infantino is increasingly focusing on FIFA’s next presidential election, scheduled for March 2027.
Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and is expected to seek another term. However, what had appeared likely to be a largely uncontested re-election has become less certain following the FFE dispute.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has ruled out standing himself but said he expects Infantino to face an opposing candidate if the FIFA president remains in the race. Reuters reported that UEFA, AFC and Concacaf have also considered a possible vote of no confidence.
The opposition is not universal. Infantino continues to receive significant support from the African and South American football confederations, while he has defended his record by arguing that FIFA must reduce the financial gap between wealthier and less affluent football associations.
The Nordic statement does not name a possible alternative candidate or set out a position on who should lead FIFA after the 2027 election. Its immediate demands concern the FFE investigation, safeguards against private ownership and an independent review of FIFA governance.
By acting jointly, however, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands have made clear that their concerns now extend beyond one abandoned commercial project. For the Nordic federations, the dispute has become a broader question of whether FIFA’s current leadership and governance structures can retain the confidence of its members.
