Norway FA Files Ethics Complaint Against FIFA President Infantino

Norway’s football federation has filed a three-part ethics complaint targeting FIFA president Gianni Infantino, asking the governing body to examine decisions involving Donald Trump, the FIFA Peace Prize and the World Cup disciplinary case of United States forward Folarin Balogun.

What changed for FIFA

The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has formally referred its concerns to FIFA’s Ethics Committee and separately raised the matter with the governance, audit and compliance committee.

The federation wants an investigation into whether Infantino, alongside other senior FIFA figures, may have broken the organisation’s ethics rules. Its submission focuses on possible abuse of office, political neutrality and the processes used for major decisions at FIFA.

The governance, audit and compliance referral asks whether FIFA’s internal decision-making, oversight arrangements and controls functioned properly, and whether any shortcomings enabled the incidents cited by Norway.

A central issue is FIFA’s new Peace Prize, created in November to recognise people deemed to have made exceptional contributions to peace and unity. Trump was given the first award at the draw for the December World Cup.

Norway has questioned both the creation and presentation of the prize, including whether the FIFA Council should have had a role in the process. The NFF also believes the episode requires scrutiny against FIFA’s obligation to remain politically neutral.

Competition context

The complaint also concerns Balogun’s red card for the USMNT in a 2026 World Cup win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. A dismissal would ordinarily bring a mandatory one-match ban, but Balogun’s suspension was put on hold and he was able to play in the subsequent round against Belgium.

Reports said the disciplinary decision was revisited after Trump contacted Infantino directly to seek a review. Norway has linked that allegation to the Peace Prize controversy and Infantino’s public backing of Trump.

• Folarin Balogun was sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• The resulting one-game suspension was suspended.
• He was then available for the USMNT’s next World Cup-round match against Belgium.

The NFF’s position is that the sequence raises questions under FIFA ethics provisions covering political neutrality and the use of senior office. Its complaint places particular emphasis on whether football disciplinary procedures were influenced outside the normal framework.

What is scheduled next

No timetable for a ruling has been set out. The immediate decision rests with FIFA’s Ethics Committee, which has been asked to determine whether a full ethics investigation is warranted.

FIFA’s governance, audit and compliance committee has also been asked to assess the wider controls behind the decisions challenged by Norway. The referrals could therefore lead to separate reviews of individual conduct and of FIFA’s internal governance processes.