New Zealand drops Infantino backing as Oceania stays with FIFA chief
What’s new: The split leaves all six confederations publicly aligned on the FIFA election fight ahead of the March Congress.
New Zealand Football withdrew its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, breaking with the Oceania Football Confederation as the governing body’s election fight deepened. The OFC, after a meeting in Fiji, welcomed FIFA’s decision to pull its plan to sell 20% of World Cup commercial rights through the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme and praised football development in Oceania under Infantino. New Zealand instead called for an independent review, saying FIFA’s handling of the proposal had damaged trust and widened divisions in the sport. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf have all pulled support for Infantino, while CAF, Conmebol and now the OFC remain behind him before the March FIFA Congress.