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 bid and demanding an independent investigation into his shelved commercial rights plan, even as Oceania’s regional body continues to stand behind world football’s leadership.

The move piles fresh pressure on Infantino, who is already facing a coordinated challenge from three major confederations – UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF – after his attempt to bring private investment into FIFA competitions detonated into a full-blown governance crisis.

New Zealand walks away

New Zealand, the only Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) nation to qualify for this year’s World Cup, confirmed on Friday it had withdrawn its support for Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as FIFA president.

The trigger was the controversial proposal to carve out a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights and sell 20 percent to private investors, a deal that aimed to raise about $4.2bn before it was abruptly scrapped.

New Zealand Football (NZF) Chief Executive Andrew Pragnell made clear the issue is no longer just about one proposal, but about trust.

“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,” 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.”

The plan, packaged with a $20m grant for each member association in the next funding cycle – a figure that could have doubled if the deal went through – has instead left a trail of suspicion over how it was conceived and who was driving it.

Pragnell said any review of the scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal must dig into decision-making and oversight at the top of FIFA, and spell out who was involved in lining up Thrive Capital, a firm with close familial links to US President Donald Trump, for a leading role.

“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,” he said.

Oceania backs the regime, with caveats

While New Zealand breaks away, the regional confederation it belongs to has opted for a more cautious line.

In a statement, the OFC said it welcomed FIFA’s decision to withdraw the proposal and pointed to what it described as a decade of progress in the region under the current leadership.

“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.

The message is clear: Oceania’s governing body is not joining the rebellion, but it wants the fallout handled properly.

Under fire, but not isolated

Infantino will stand for re-election at the FIFA Congress next year. On paper, the opposition looks formidable: UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF together represent 136 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, all of whom will vote in March.

Yet the Swiss lawyer is far from isolated.

African and South American football leaders have already declared their continued support. The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee has unanimously backed Infantino, though that does not automatically guarantee all 54 member associations will vote as a bloc.

Six heads of Arab national football associations, including Qatar and 2030 World Cup cohost Morocco, publicly reaffirmed their support on Thursday, praising his “sustained efforts to advance football globally”.

After a crisis meeting in Morocco last week, FIFA apologised to its 211 member associations for “mistakes” in the handling of the proposal and said its leadership had ⁠full support for Infantino.

The apology has not cooled the calls for scrutiny.

Pressure for an independent probe builds

New Zealand is not alone in demanding an outside investigation.

AFC member Australia has also called for an independent review as part of the Asian bloc’s stance, though it has not openly declared a position on Infantino’s leadership.

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

The battle lines are now drawn. On one side, confederations that want an independent lens on how one of the most radical commercial plans in FIFA history nearly went through. On the other, a president still backed by powerful blocs in Africa, South America and the Arab world.

The review, if it comes, will not just probe a failed deal. It will test how much scrutiny the game’s most powerful office is really prepared to accept.