The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) has taken the extraordinary step of formally calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to step down immediately, making it the first national football association to issue such a demand.

NFF President Lise Klaveness stated that Infantino had forfeited the institutional confidence needed to govern football's global body, citing a controversial and subsequently abandoned plan to sell commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors.

No way back for Infantino

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Klaveness was unequivocal: "He does not have the institutional trust required to lead FIFA in a stable manner in the current climate. There is no turning back for Gianni Infantino."

Her remarks came a day after a meeting of the NFF's governing bodies, during which the federation examined the situation surrounding the FIFA president. "We are going to ask the FIFA president to resign now," she said.

Klaveness also told AFP that Infantino's continued presence at the helm of FIFA was unsustainable given the turbulence engulfing the organisation. "Given the chaos we find ourselves in, he can no longer be the figure capable of uniting people," she said.

UEFA's boycott threat remains

European football's governing body UEFA had already moved to distance itself from Infantino on Thursday, reiterating that its threat to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions remained firmly in place — even after FIFA abandoned the commercial rights scheme and issued an apology for it.

UEFA confirmed it had lost confidence in Infantino and showed no sign of softening its position following FIFA's climbdown.

Rabat summit fails to quell the storm

Earlier in the week, Infantino appeared to have steadied his footing somewhat after chairing a summit with senior FIFA staff in Rabat, Morocco. FIFA issued a statement claiming the president had received the full backing of those present at the gathering.

However, the NFF's formal call for his resignation — the first of its kind from any national federation — signals that the crisis surrounding his leadership is far from over.