New Zealand Football has withdrawn its support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino's bid for a fourth presidential term, breaking with its regional governing body, the Oceania Football Confederation, which stopped short of either endorsing or opposing Infantino.
New Zealand breaks with Oceania football body, withdraws support for Infantino re-election
New Zealand Football has withdrawn its support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino's bid for a fourth presidential term, breaking with its regional governing body, the Oceania Football Confederation, which stopped short of either endorsing or opposing Infantino.
Infantino has lost the backing of three regional confederations — Europe's Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation, and Concacaf — over his plans, since abandoned, to sell 20% of the World Cup's commercial rights to private investors. The Confederation of African Football and South American body Conmebol have both backed the 56-year-old ahead of the Fifa Congress vote scheduled for March.
New Zealand joins a group of individual member nations — including England, Wales, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland — that have already confirmed they will not vote for Infantino's re-election.
New Zealand was the only one of the OFC's 11 members to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
The OFC said it welcomed Fifa's decision to withdraw the commercial-rights proposal but did not declare or withdraw support for Infantino. 'The OFC Executive Committee welcomes Fifa's decision to withdraw the FFE proposal and its commitment to review the issues surrounding the project,' its statement read, adding that it 'encourages Fifa to use the review as an opportunity to identify and implement any changes that may be necessary.'
- The source does not state the positions of the other ten OFC member associations on Infantino's re-election.
- The source does not state whether Fifa or Infantino has responded to New Zealand Football's withdrawal of support or its call for an independent review.
- The source does not specify the date or exact format of the Fifa Congress in March at which the presidential vote is to take place.
- The source does not detail the full nature or scope of the aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise Scheme beyond the reference to selling 20% of the World Cup's commercial rights to private investors.
- The source does not state whether any other candidate has declared a challenge to Infantino for the Fifa presidency.