Klaveness plans FIFA proposals for tournament compensation funds

Norwegian Football Federation president Lise Klaveness intends to submit proposals to the next FIFA congress that would require organisers to prepare compensation arrangements before tournaments take place, according to an interview published by the Guardian on Wednesday. Her plans centre on setting money aside in advance and establishing how it would reach people entitled to remedy.

Klaveness wants the approach to extend beyond FIFA to UEFA and other competition organisers. She is seeking alliances to support the proposals but indicated that Norway could put them forward without partners. The intended changes remain proposals: the interview did not announce an agreement by FIFA or other governing bodies to adopt the arrangements, or set out an agreed funding amount.

The initiative follows the dispute over compensation connected to preparations for the Qatar World Cup. The Guardian reported that families of workers injured or killed were left without financial compensation after FIFA allocated its legacy fund elsewhere. A review undertaken at Klaveness's prompting found that FIFA had a responsibility to provide remedy, but the organisation did not redirect the money. She now wants the issue addressed before future events rather than after them.

Klaveness identified Euro 2028 and the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia as tournaments for which she wants new practices in place. She also presented her case on Tuesday to politicians attending an event marking 50 years of the OECD's guidelines on responsible business conduct. That appearance formed part of her efforts to bring the question of remedy back into discussions about how major competitions are organised.

Her reform push comes ahead of next year's FIFA presidential election. Klaveness played down the prospect of standing herself, telling the Guardian that a candidacy had not been a serious subject for her and that her outspoken record on governance would make gathering votes difficult. She did not, however, categorically exclude a run. She argued that an alternative to Gianni Infantino would need support across confederations to mount a credible challenge.

The nomination deadline is 18 November, according to the report. Klaveness said the priority should be finding someone with a platform capable of winning, rather than simply entering an opponent. Alongside that electoral discussion, her stated next step on compensation is to develop proposals for congress, with the ambition that other governing bodies eventually introduce similar safeguards.