New Zealand Withdraws Support for FIFA President Infantino, Demands Independent Review

New Zealand Football (NZF) announced Friday it is withdrawing its support for Gianni Infantino's re-election as FIFA president and is calling for an independent review of the organization's management. This move comes amid a crisis sparked by Infantino's FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, which aimed to allow private investors into a portion of FIFA's commercial rights.

The FFE project, which proposed selling about 20% of these rights for approximately $4.2 billion, drew criticism from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF. These organizations cited a lack of transparency and insufficient consultation with member federations. The project has since been withdrawn.

NZF stated that after careful consideration, certain decisions and actions within FIFA have eroded trust and increased division in international football. They believe an independent review is necessary to restore credibility and confidence in global football governance. The federation also emphasized the need to strengthen governance, accountability, and transparency.

New Zealand joins a growing list of nations that have withdrawn their support for Infantino's bid for a fourth term in the FIFA Congress scheduled for March 2027. Previously, Ireland, Finland, Wales, England, Sweden, Serbia, and the Netherlands had also rescinded their backing. However, Infantino still retains support from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and CONMEBOL, as well as Qatar, Morocco, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon, and Sudan, who expressed their "full support" for his leadership.