New Zealand withdraws support for FIFA’s Infantino

New Zealand has withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, becoming the latest national football association to oppose his bid for a fourth term and breaking ranks with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

Infantino has faced growing opposition from regional football bodies over an abandoned proposal to sell 20% of the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf have withdrawn their support for the 56-year-old, while the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and South American governing body Conmebol continue to back him ahead of the FIFA Congress in March.

New Zealand joins individual member associations including England, Wales, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in saying they will not support Infantino's re-election.

"New Zealand Football is also seeking an independent review of the steps undertaken to develop the Fifa Forward Enterprise Scheme (FFE)," a statement read.

"After careful consideration, NZF has formed the view that decisions and actions within FIFA have contributed to a breakdown in trust and increased division within international football, and that an independent review is required to restore confidence and trust.

"NZF believes this point in time represents an opportunity for all Fifa member associations to advocate for stronger governance, accountability and transparency which are fundamental in maintaining confidence of the administration of the global game."

New Zealand was the only one of the OFC's 11 member associations to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said the proposed review should be genuinely independent rather than an internal exercise.

"We've called for an independent review specifically because what we don't want to see is a sort of in-house quick washover of this.

"An independent review is something else that has been called for by other confederations that will help restore some of the trust."

The OFC has welcomed FIFA's decision to withdraw the FFE proposal but has not declared whether it supports or opposes Infantino's re-election.

"The OFC Executive Committee welcomes Fifa's decision to withdraw the FFE proposal and its commitment to review the issues surrounding the project," the confederation said.

"The OFC recognises the progress achieved over the last decade in advancing football development in Oceania under Fifa's leadership and encourages Fifa to use the review as an opportunity to identify and implement any changes that may be necessary."

By Sabina Mammadli