New Zealand have broken rank with Oceania’s football governing body to become the latest nation to withdraw support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Infantino has lost support from three regional confederations – Europe’s Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf (North and Central America and the Caribbean) – over his aborted plans to sell 20% of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) and South American governing body Conmebol have backed the 56-year-old to win a fourth presidential term at the Fifa Congress in March.
New Zealand have followed several individual member nations including England, Wales, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in confirming they will not support Infantino’s re-election bid.
“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 members to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell said: “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 Oceania Football Confederation said it welcomed Fifa’s decision to withdraw the proposal, but stopped short of declaring or withdrawing 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,” the statement 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.”
