The football association of the region went against the position of the regional government body of Oceania, joining the federation, which opposes the re-election of the dignified FIFA president through scandalous commercial transactions..
New Zealand has officially decided to support the candidacy of Gianni Infantino for his fourth presidential term, becoming another country that has expressed distrust in the world football leader. This term means a break from the core line of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
The main reason for the dissatisfaction was Infantino’s super ambitious plans to sell 20% of the commercial rights to the World Cup to private investors under the so-called FIFA Forward Enterprise Scheme (FFE).
Through this initiative, the 56-member functionary has already supported three regional confederations: European (UEFA), Asian (AFC), Northern and Central America.
Encouraged by the support of Infantino, New Zealand inherited the butt of low European associations, including England, Wales, Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Ireland. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the American CONMEBOL retained their loyalty to the venerable President Bereznevy to the FIFA Congress.
In its official statement, FIFA called for an independent investigation into the activities of FIFA before developing the FFE scheme.
“Following a strong decision, the New Zealand Football Federation came up with the idea that the decisions made by FIFA were in response to the deepening division in international football, and what is needed for renewal. “We appreciate that this moment is an opportunity for all FIFA member associations to strive for stronger governance, awareness and insight,” says the source..
Vice-director of the New Zealand Football Federation, Andrew Pragnell, emphasized that the federation will not avoid the rapid internal monitoring of the situation under control, adding that an independent review will help to improve.
The situation clearly demonstrates a deep split not only between the confederations, but also in the middle of them: New Zealand, one of the 11 OFC member countries that qualified for the 2026 World Cup, opposed.
Recently, New Caledonia confirmed the support of Infantino. The OFC itself stated that FIFA’s decision to follow the FFE proposal was in vain, but was withdrawn from public support and criticism of the president.
Given the anti-Infantino confederation's anti-Infantino position, Mexico, Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis went against their federation, holding their heads up. Argentina adhered to this until the back line of its confederation, which was supported by Infantino.