Norwegian FA files complaints with FIFA committees

Filings cover peace prize, Balogun suspension lift and proposed World Cup stake sales

STOCKHOLM:

The Norwegian Football Association (NFF) has made two parallel filings with two FIFA committees in relation to three recent ⁠issues that have caused significant controversy in the global football community, it said on Tuesday. 

The Norwegians have made the filings with the global governing body's committees on ethics and governance, according to a document seen by Reuters. 

The filings mark the NFF's most formal challenge yet ⁠to the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, escalating longstanding tensions over governance and transparency within world soccer's governing body. 

"The first filing is a complaint to the FIFA Ethics Committee. It asks the Ethics Committee to examine the conduct of FIFA President ⁠Gianni Infantino and any other individuals identified through ⁠the investigation for potential breaches of FIFA’s Code of Ethics," the NFF said in a statement. 

"The second filing is a referral to FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (“GACC”). It asks whether FIFA’s governance, financial oversight, internal controls and decision-making processes have worked as intended." 

The NFF said the filings related to three separate incidents -- the FIFA Peace Prize, the lifting of a suspension ⁠on US forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, and the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project ⁠that would have allowed investors to purchase minority stakes in FFE which was going to run FIFA tournaments including the World Cup. 

"NFF has for several years raised questions about governance, transparency and separation of powers within FIFA. These filings are a natural continuation of NFFs commitment to the governance of international football," the statement said. 

"The purpose is to raise these issues formally ⁠with the appropriate bodies, to have them examined, relevant evidence obtained and accountability for the conclusions reached." 

The complaint to the Ethics Committee is expected to be evaluated by the body's investigatory chamber, while the GACC is being asked to use its existing oversight powers to review the governance and institutional issues raised by the three matters, the NFF said. Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.