New Zealand Football withdraws support for FIFA chief Gianni Infantino

New Zealand Football has broken with the Oceania Football Confederation by refusing to endorse Gianni Infantino’s bid for a fourth FIFA term. The decision follows the collapse of a proposal to sell 20% of World Cup commercial rights, which has already cost Infantino the support of UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF. The African and South American confederations, CAF and CONMEBOL, remain in his corner.

In its statement, New Zealand Football called for an independent audit of the FIFA Forward Enterprise Scheme, arguing that recent actions have eroded trust among member associations. Chief executive Andrew Pragnell emphasized the need for an external review rather than an internal “quick washover.” The Oceania Football Confederation welcomed FIFA’s withdrawal of the commercial-rights plan but stopped short of withdrawing its own support for Infantino.