Pressure Mounts on Infantino in Battle to Remain at FIFA’s Helm
New Zealand withdraws its support for the FIFA president’s re-election and calls for an independent review following a controversial investment plan that was later abandoned.
New Zealand became the latest country on Friday to withdraw its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s re-election, amid a plan to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights to private-sector investors, a proposal that was subsequently abandoned.
Meanwhile, the Oceania Football Confederation expressed cautious support for the leadership of world football’s governing body. Infantino is facing mounting pressure after three continental confederations — the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) — called for a review of his administration, criticizing in particular his handling of a project aimed at attracting private investment into FIFA competitions.
The Swiss official is preparing to run for a fourth term as FIFA president next year, while the African and South American confederations have announced that they continue to support him.
New Zealand said it had withdrawn its support for Infantino, stressing that any review of the proposal to sell stakes in commercial rights should be independent, given declining confidence in FIFA’s governance mechanisms.
“An independent review is also a demand raised by other federations and would help restore some degree of confidence,” it added.
The Oceania Football Confederation, for its part, said in a statement that it welcomed FIFA’s decision to withdraw the proposal, noting that football in the region had experienced significant growth during the current FIFA leadership.
“The Oceania Football Confederation recognizes the progress made over the past decade in developing football in the region under FIFA’s leadership and encourages the world governing body to use the review process to identify and implement any changes that may be necessary.”
Infantino’s Allies
Infantino had proposed separating the commercial rights to the World Cup and selling 20% of them to private investors in an effort to raise approximately $4.2 billion, before abandoning the project following widespread criticism.
The proposal included a $20 million grant for member associations during the next funding cycle, with the possibility of doubling the amount if the agreement were approved.
Following an emergency meeting held in Morocco last week, FIFA apologized to its 211 member associations for mistakes that had marred the handling of the matter. The organization’s leaders also reaffirmed their full support for Infantino.
Despite opposition from the three continental confederations, which represent 136 of the 211 associations eligible to vote in the presidential election scheduled for March, Infantino still retains a broad support base within global football.
Six presidents of Arab football associations, including those of Qatar and Morocco, reaffirmed their strong support for Infantino on Thursday, praising what they described as “his continued efforts to develop football worldwide.”
The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) also unanimously renewed its support for Infantino, although there is no guarantee that all 54 national associations on the continent will vote for him.
Bragnell said the independent review of the now-abandoned “FIFA Forward Enterprise” project should examine FIFA’s decision-making and oversight mechanisms. He added that the review should also identify the parties involved in developing the plan, which was intended to give Thrive Capital, a company with close family ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, a leading role in the project.
Australia, a member of the Asian Football Confederation, has also joined calls for an independent review, without explicitly stating its position on Infantino’s future as FIFA president.
Bragnell said: “Based on what we have seen, including Australia’s support for the Asian Football Confederation’s statement, our positions are completely aligned.”
