Who Is the Norwegian Woman Who Could Topple Infantino?
Lise Klaveness, a former footballer and lawyer, is increasingly mentioned as a candidate to lead world football while the current president faces a severe crisis of confidence.
Lise Klaveness, a former footballer and lawyer, is increasingly mentioned as a candidate to lead world football while the current president faces a severe crisis of confidence.
As Gianni Infantino faces the most serious crisis of his tenure, one figure is increasingly standing out as his potential successor. That figure is Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, whose outspoken views and uncompromising fight for transparency have already resonated across world football.
Klaveness is not a career bureaucrat. During her playing career, she earned 73 caps for the Norwegian national team and scored nine goals. At the 2005 European Championship, she won a silver medal. After retiring from playing in 2011, she earned a law degree from the University of Bergen and worked as a lawyer and judge.
She entered football administration in 2018 as the federation's director of elite football, and in March 2022, she became the first female president of the Norwegian Football Federation in its 120-year history.
Just days after her election, she delivered a speech at the FIFA Congress in Doha that caused an earthquake. Without diplomatic hedging, she criticized the decision to award Qatar the World Cup in front of Infantino and delegates from around the world, pointing to human rights violations, the plight of migrant workers, and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
While FIFA leaders responded defensively, Klaveness remained consistent. That appearance symbolizes two completely different views on governing world football: on one hand, a system weighed down by political and financial interests, and on the other, an insistence on ethics, accountability, and transparency.
On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, Infantino convened an emergency meeting with the FIFA Executive Committee in Rabat, Morocco. The trigger was the growing calls for his resignation over the controversial proposal to sell a stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a company that would oversee commercial rights to the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments.
The most contentious part of the plan was the sale of a 20 percent stake in FFE to private investors. Three continental confederations rejected the proposal, and UEFA threatened to boycott FIFA competitions. Although the plan was withdrawn last Saturday, August 1, UEFA announced just hours later that it had "lost confidence" in Infantino's leadership.
Following Wednesday's meeting, FIFA issued a statement acknowledging mistakes. "It was agreed that it was not the intention for the FIFA Council and member associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently," the statement read. It also noted that "mistakes made after the proposal leaked to the media were acknowledged."
Despite the admission, the statement further angered national associations. Sources told the Press Association predicted an "open war." FIFA Council members are reportedly working to secure the 19 votes needed to call an extraordinary congress where Infantino could be held accountable for FFE and the Folarin Balogun case, which has deeply unsettled some members.
Former Portuguese football star Luís Figo called on Infantino to resign, describing his behavior as "the lowest, most cunning, and most cowardly selfish behavior I have ever witnessed." Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, said he no longer has confidence in Infantino and that the exclusion of key people from the development of the FFE proposal "should be fatal."
In this chaotic environment, Klaveness is increasingly mentioned as a candidate for FIFA president. Many believe she possesses a unique combination of international playing experience, top-tier legal expertise, and a strong sense of ethical principles.
Her vision is not for FIFA to function as a private corporation, but as an organization accountable to the entire football community. Her platform is based on the rule of law, player protection, financial transparency, and the balanced development of football worldwide.
