New Zealand Withdraws Support for FIFA President Infantino
New Zealand has broken ranks with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, pulling its backing for his re-election bid and demanding an independent investigation into his controversial commercial rights plan.
The move piles fresh pressure on Infantino, already facing an open revolt from three powerful confederations – UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF – over his aborted proposal to bring private investment into FIFA competitions.
New Zealand walks away
New Zealand, the only Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) nation to reach this year’s World Cup, confirmed on Friday it no longer supports Infantino’s push for a fourth term as FIFA president.
The tipping point was the now-scrapped plan to carve out a 20 percent stake in FIFA’s commercial rights, including those linked to the World Cup, and sell it to private investors for around $4.2bn.
New Zealand Football wants the fallout handled at arm’s length.
“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.
“An independent review is something else that has been called for by other confederations that will help restore some of the trust.”
That trust has been badly shaken. The proposal, tied to a $20m grant for each member association in the next funding cycle – potentially doubled if the deal went through – sparked anger across the game and forced FIFA into a sharp U-turn.
Oceania treads carefully
While New Zealand has turned its back on Infantino, its regional confederation has not.
In a statement, the OFC welcomed FIFA’s decision to withdraw the commercial rights proposal and praised the current administration for what it sees as real progress in the region.
“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.
So Oceania’s message is split: New Zealand wants distance and scrutiny; the confederation wants evolution, not revolution.
Power struggle at the top
Infantino will stand for re-election at the FIFA Congress next year, chasing a fourth term in charge of world football’s governing body.
He does not go into that vote unarmed.
Despite the backlash, he retains strong institutional support. The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee has unanimously backed him, and South America is also behind his candidacy. Six heads of Arab national associations, including Qatar and 2030 World Cup cohost Morocco, publicly reaffirmed their support on Thursday, praising his “sustained efforts to advance football globally”.
At the same time, three confederations – UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF – have demanded a review of his leadership and condemned his handling of the commercial rights plan. Those three blocs account for 136 of FIFA’s 211 voting member associations.
The numbers suggest a battle, not a coronation.
Fallout from the Thrive Capital plan
At the heart of the storm is the shelved FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and the role of Thrive Capital, an investment firm with close family links to former US President Donald Trump.
Pragnell wants the review to do more than simply rubber-stamp what has already happened.
He said any independent investigation must examine how decisions were made inside FIFA, what oversight existed, and who exactly was involved in putting Thrive Capital at the centre of the proposed 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.
The crisis peaked at a meeting in Morocco last week, where FIFA apologised to its 211 member associations for “mistakes” in the way the proposal was handled and insisted its leadership still fully supports Infantino.
Australia aligns with Asia’s stance
Australia, another AFC member, has also called for an independent review, aligning itself with the Asian bloc’s push for answers, though it has stopped short of publicly declaring a position on Infantino’s leadership itself.
“Based on what we’ve seen, including [Australia’s] commitment to the AFC statement, we’re strongly aligned,” Pragnell said.
So the fault lines are clear. Africa, South America and key Arab federations remain in Infantino’s corner. Europe, Asia and CONCACAF are demanding scrutiny and change. Oceania is caught in the middle, with its biggest football nation no longer willing to give the FIFA president the benefit of the doubt.
The election in March will reveal which side of that divide truly speaks for the future of the global game.
