New Zealand Drops Support for FIFA President Infantino as Divide Widens
Theo Al Jazeera English
New Zealand has withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election, joining a growing divide among football federations. The move follows the scrapping of a controversial plan to sell commercial rights, with calls for an independent review to restore trust.
New Zealand has become the latest nation to withdraw its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election bid, following the cancellation of his plan to sell a stake in FIFA's commercial rights. The move comes as the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) cautiously expresses support for the leadership of world football's governing body.
Infantino faces public opposition from three continental federations: UEFA (Europe), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF (North, Central America, and the Caribbean). These bodies have called for a review of his leadership and criticized how he handled plans to bring private investment into FIFA's tournaments.
Infantino will seek a fourth term at the FIFA Congress next year. Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) have declared continued support for him.
New Zealand, the only OFC nation to qualify for this year's World Cup, announced on Friday it had withdrawn its support for Infantino. The New Zealand Football Federation (NZF) called for an independent review of the equity sale plan, citing a loss of confidence in FIFA's leadership.
“We are calling for an independent review because we don't want to see a token internal review,” NZF CEO Andrew Pragnell told Reuters. “An independent review, as other federations have called for, would help restore trust.”
In a statement, the OFC welcomed FIFA's decision to withdraw the proposal and noted that regional football has developed under FIFA's current leadership. The OFC also encouraged FIFA to consider the review as an opportunity to identify and implement necessary changes.
Infantino, a Swiss national, had proposed separating the World Cup commercial rights and selling 20% to private investors to raise around $4.2 billion, before withdrawing the scheme amid widespread opposition. The proposal included a $20 million funding package for member federations in the next cycle, which could double if they signed the agreement.
Following an emergency meeting in Morocco, FIFA apologized to its 211 member associations for mistakes in handling the proposal but reaffirmed its full support for Infantino. Despite three opposing federations representing 136 of the 211 votes in next March's election, Infantino retains many allies.
On Thursday, six Arab football federations, including Qatar and Morocco (co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup), expressed strong support, praising his efforts to develop global football. The CAF executive committee also unanimously backed Infantino, though it did not guarantee all 54 members would vote accordingly.
Pragnell argued that the independent review of the scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise plan should clarify decision-making and oversight processes at FIFA, and identify those involved in the plan that allowed Thrive Capital—a company with close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump—to play a key role.
“The scope needs to be carefully considered, but the most important thing is that all federations agree on the scope and it needs to be implemented urgently,” Pragnell told Reuters. Australia, an AFC member, has also called for an independent review alongside the Asian bloc but has not publicly stated its position on Infantino's leadership. “Based on what we've seen, including Australia's commitment to the AFC statement, we're completely aligned,” Pragnell added.
