New Zealand Football has separated itself from the wider Oceania position by confirming it will not support Gianni Infantino in his bid for another term as Fifa president.
Infantino has already lost the backing of three major regional confederations. Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf have all withdrawn their support following controversy over plans to sell 20% of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors. The proposal was eventually abandoned.
The Confederation of African Football and South American governing body Conmebol continue to support the 56 year old ahead of the Fifa Congress in March, when he will seek a fourth presidential term.
New Zealand joins countries opposing Infantino
New Zealand now joins several individual associations that have publicly refused to back Infantino’s re election. England, Wales, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have already taken the same position.
New Zealand Football has also requested an independent investigation into the process used to develop the Fifa Forward Enterprise Scheme.
NZF said its decision followed careful consideration of recent developments within Fifa. The organisation believes certain decisions and actions have weakened trust and created greater division across international football.
The federation argues that an external review is needed to rebuild confidence in Fifa and its decision making processes.
NZF also believes the current situation gives Fifa’s member associations an opportunity to demand stronger standards in governance, accountability and transparency. According to the organisation, those principles are essential for maintaining confidence in the administration of world football.
New Zealand were the only one of the Oceania Football Confederation’s 11 members to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup. However, not every OFC nation has adopted the same position. New Caledonia have confirmed that they continue to support Infantino.
Similar divisions have appeared elsewhere. Mexico, Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis have backed the Fifa president despite Concacaf withdrawing its support. Argentina, meanwhile, remain aligned with Conmebol and continue to support Infantino.
NZF calls for an independent review
New Zealand Football chief executive Andrew Pragnell stressed that the federation wants a genuinely independent examination of the Fifa Forward Enterprise Scheme rather than an internal process controlled by Fifa itself.
Pragnell said NZF did not want the controversy to receive only a limited internal review. He argued that an independent assessment, which has also been requested by other football organisations, could play an important role in restoring trust.
The demand for greater scrutiny comes after Fifa withdrew the controversial proposal concerning the commercial rights connected to the World Cup.
OFC stops short of opposing Infantino
The Oceania Football Confederation welcomed Fifa’s decision to abandon the FFE proposal and supported plans to examine the issues surrounding the project.
However, the regional body has neither officially withdrawn its backing for Infantino nor confirmed that it will continue supporting him in the upcoming presidential election.
The OFC highlighted what it described as progress in football development across Oceania during the past decade under Fifa’s leadership.
At the same time, the confederation encouraged Fifa to use the review process to identify any necessary changes and introduce improvements where required.
New Zealand’s decision therefore creates a clear difference of position within Oceania as pressure continues to grow around Infantino ahead of the March Fifa Congress.
