New Zealand withdraw support for FIFA boss Infantino, call for review

New Zealand Football (NZF) has formally withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino's re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 FIFA Congress. The move signals a significant challenge to Infantino's leadership and comes after FIFA abandoned controversial plans to introduce private equity into the World Cup.

In a statement released Friday, NZF announced its decision to retract support for Infantino's candidature. The organization also declared its intention to seek an independent review of the processes involved in developing the now-scrapped FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme. This scheme aimed to bring external investment into FIFA's commercial activities.

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New Zealand Football (NZF) today announced that it has formally withdrawn its support for the candidature of Gianni Infantino as FIFA President at the 2027 FIFA Congress.

The withdrawal of support from a member association like New Zealand Football highlights growing concerns among some football federations regarding FIFA's governance and financial strategies. The call for a review suggests a desire for greater transparency and accountability within the international governing body of football.

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In addition, NZF is also seeking an independent review of the steps undertaken to develop the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme.