New Zealand Breaks with Oceania Confederation Over FIFA President Infantino

New Zealand has withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election bid, contradicting the position of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). The move follows a controversy regarding Infantino's aborted plan to sell a 20 percent stake in the commercial rights of FIFA competitions to private investors to raise approximately 4.2 billion dollars. New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andrew Pragnell stated that an independent review of the proposal is necessary due to a loss of confidence and trust in FIFA leadership. He specifically noted the need to investigate the involvement of Thrive Capital, a firm with close familial links to US President Donald Trump.

The global football community is currently split over Infantino's leadership. Europe's UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF have called for a review of his conduct. In contrast, the confederations for Africa and South America have declared their continued support for his re-election. While the OFC cautiously backed the current leadership by citing progress in the region over the last decade, New Zealand's opposition highlights a divide between regional confederations and their individual member associations. Some individual nations, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico, have also expressed support for Infantino.

Infantino is expected to seek re-election at the FIFA Congress in March. The situation has led to a stalemate, with UEFA threatening to boycott FIFA tournaments if Infantino does not withdraw. The next major deadline is November 18, when candidates for the FIFA presidency must officially declare their candidacy.