Helsinki: Six Nordic football associations announced on Sunday that they have "lost confidence" in FIFA President Gianni Infantino following his unsuccessful attempt to introduce private investment into World Cup-related commercial interests.

According to Anadolu Agency, the football associations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands issued a joint statement after a meeting in Helsinki. They expressed 'serious concerns' regarding FIFA's governance and decision-making at the senior level. The statement emphasized their loss of confidence in Infantino and highlighted apprehensions about the organization's governance and high-level decision-making processes.

The associations declared their unwavering support for UEFA and the measures proposed jointly by its national associations. They also demanded guarantees against the possibility of private ownership of FIFA's governance or competitions. The statement called for binding assurances from FIFA that its governance or competitions would never be opened to private ownership.

Additionally, the Nordic associations supported the demand by AFC, CONCACAF, and UEFA for a thorough third-party review of the events surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. They urged FIFA to commission a broader independent examination of its governance structure to ensure that it provides the independence, checks and balances, transparency, and accountability intended by FIFA's reform program adopted in 2016.

Earlier, UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) also issued a joint statement criticizing Infantino's management of the proposal and calling for an independent third-party review. These confederations have additionally urged Infantino to step down from his position.

Separately, several national associations, including England's Football Association, have withdrawn their support for Infantino ahead of the upcoming FIFA presidential election scheduled for March 2027. In response to the widespread opposition, FIFA previously apologized for errors in the process related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and subsequently retracted the plan.