New Zealand Withdraws Support for FIFA President Infantino

New Zealand has broken ranks with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, withdrawing its backing for his re-election and demanding an independent investigation into the now-abandoned commercial rights deal that has plunged world football’s leadership into crisis.

The move leaves Infantino facing open revolt from multiple corners of the game, even as some of FIFA’s most powerful blocs continue to stand firmly behind him.

New Zealand walks away

New Zealand Football confirmed on Friday it no longer supports Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as FIFA president, a sharp public rebuke from the only Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) nation at this year’s World Cup.

At the heart of the dispute is Infantino’s failed plan to carve out a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights — including those linked to the World Cup — and sell 20 percent to private investors in a deal worth about $4.2bn.

Trust, New Zealand says, has been damaged.

“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,” New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andrew Pragnell told Reuters. He stressed that only a fully independent process could begin to restore confidence.

“An independent review is something else that has been called for by other confederations that will help restore some of the trust,” he added.

New Zealand’s stance aligns it with UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, which have already challenged Infantino’s leadership and condemned the handling of the proposal to bring private money into FIFA competitions.

Oceania backs the system, not the plan

While New Zealand has turned away from Infantino, its regional confederation has not.

The OFC issued a carefully worded statement welcoming FIFA’s decision to withdraw the controversial proposal, while at the same time praising the progress made under the current regime.

“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,” it said.

That line captures the split: deep concern over the deal itself, but a reluctance in parts of Oceania to abandon the leadership that has channelled money and development into the region.

A deal that blew up

Infantino’s proposal was simple on paper, explosive in politics.

FIFA would sell a 20 percent stake in the commercial rights to its competitions to private investors, raising around $4.2bn. In return, member associations were told they could expect a $20m grant in the next funding cycle — with the promise that figure could double if the deal went through.

The backlash was immediate. After a crisis meeting in Morocco last week, FIFA apologised to its 211 member associations for “mistakes” in how the plan was handled and confirmed it had been pulled.

Despite that apology, the damage to Infantino’s standing was clear. UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF — together representing 136 of the 211 voting member associations ahead of March’s presidential election — publicly questioned his conduct and demanded a full review.

The pressure forced a U-turn. The questions have not gone away.

Allies dig in

For all the noise, Infantino still has powerful friends.

Africa and South America have both declared their support, giving the Swiss administrator a solid base ahead of next year’s FIFA Congress, where he will seek a fourth term in charge of the global body.

The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee unanimously reaffirmed its backing for Infantino, though that does not automatically guarantee that all 54 member associations will vote as a bloc.

Six heads of Arab national football associations — including Qatar and 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco — went even further on Thursday, issuing a joint statement that “firmly” backed Infantino and praised his “sustained efforts to advance football globally.”

Inside FIFA’s own walls, the leadership has also rallied. After the Morocco meeting, the organisation said its hierarchy gave full support to Infantino, even as it conceded errors over the handling of the proposal.

Who knew what?

For New Zealand, the issue now goes beyond a single failed deal.

Pragnell wants an independent review of the scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal to drill into how decisions were made, who oversaw them and where the checks and balances failed.

The review, he said, must also clarify who was involved in the plan for Thrive Capital — a firm with close family links to former US President Donald Trump — to play a leading role in the venture.

“I think the scope needs to be considered really carefully, but what’s most important is that all confederations should agree on the scope, and it needs to get under way with urgency,” Pragnell told Reuters.

AFC member Australia has also backed calls for an independent review, aligning itself with the Asian bloc’s position, though it has stopped short of publicly declaring a stance on Infantino’s leadership.

“Based on what we’ve seen, including [Australia’s] commitment to the AFC statement, we’re strongly aligned,” Pragnell said of New Zealand’s position.

The battle lines are now drawn: a president with heavyweight backing in Africa, South America and the Arab world, facing mounting resistance from Europe, Asia, CONCACAF and, increasingly, within Oceania.

The vote in March will not just decide who runs FIFA. It will reveal how deep the cracks in world football’s power structure really are.