FIFA: Nordic federations demand independent investigation

The six Nordic football federations have called for an independent investigation into FIFA’s governance and the events surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, while saying they have lost confidence in FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The joint position was agreed at a meeting of the Nordic federations in Helsinki, where the organisations discussed FIFA’s governance, decision-making and the continuation of its reform process.

The six federations subsequently issued a joint statement outlining their concerns and their support for measures proposed by UEFA and several other continental football bodies.

Nordic federations question FIFA governance

The Nordic federations said they were concerned about the way FIFA is governed and how decisions are made at the highest level of the organisation.

They said their position was based on a loss of confidence in the FIFA president and called for stronger guarantees to prevent similar concerns from emerging in the future.

“The six Nordic football federations have lost confidence in the FIFA President and view the governance and decision-making of the organization at the highest level with great concern.

– The Nordic football federations stand united with UEFA and support the measures that the organization and its member national associations have jointly proposed. We expect FIFA to provide legally binding guarantees so that the governance or competitions of the organization can never again be open to private ownership.”

The statement also makes clear that the Nordic federations want any future safeguards concerning FIFA’s governance to have a legally binding basis.

Their position extends beyond governance arrangements and includes the organisation’s competitions and the way FIFA operates at its highest level.

Call for independent FIFA Forward investigation

The six federations also backed calls from the Asian Football Confederation, Concacaf and UEFA for an independent investigation into the events surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.

They specifically called for the investigation to be conducted externally, rather than through an internal FIFA process.

– We also support the call by the AFC, Concacaf, and UEFA for a fully independent, externally conducted investigation into the events surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.

The Nordic federations therefore want the circumstances surrounding the proposal to be examined independently.

Their statement places the investigation within a wider call for greater accountability and transparency in the governing body of world football.

Reform process comes under scrutiny

The Nordic federations also called for FIFA to conduct a broader review of its governance rules.

They said the review should examine whether the regulatory system introduced as part of FIFA’s reform programme provides the safeguards that were intended when those reforms were adopted in 2016.

– We further call on FIFA to launch a thorough and independent review of its governance rules.

This review must determine whether this regulatory framework guarantees the independence, checks and balances, transparency, and accountability that were intended when FIFA adopted its reform program in 2016.

The request covers several areas of governance, including independence, checks and balances, transparency and accountability.

The Nordic federations’ position therefore combines support for an external investigation into the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal with a wider review of FIFA’s governance framework.

Their joint statement represents a common position among the six Nordic national federations following their Helsinki meeting.

The federations said they stand united with UEFA and support the measures proposed jointly by UEFA and its member national associations.

They also backed the calls made by AFC, Concacaf and UEFA for an externally conducted investigation.

At the centre of their demands is the belief that FIFA’s governance framework should provide sufficient independence, oversight and accountability.

The Nordic federations are consequently seeking both an independent examination of the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and a thorough review of the governance rules introduced during FIFA’s reform process.