August 14, 2026 | 11:52 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s leadership, even as divisions grow over his re-election bid. The OFC said football in the region had made progress under FIFA’s leadership and welcomed the withdrawal of a controversial proposal to sell part of the World Cup’s commercial rights to private investors.
“OFC recognises the progress achieved over the last decade in advancing football development in Oceania under FIFA’s leadership and encourages FIFA to use the review as an opportunity to identify and implement any changes that may be necessary,” wrote OFC in a statement, citing Al Jazeera.
However, New Zealand has broken ranks with the regional confederation. New Zealand Football, the only OFC nation to qualify for this year’s World Cup, has withdrawn its support for Infantino’s re-election and called for an independent review of the scrapped investment plan.
“We’ve called for an independent review specifically because what we don’t want to see is a sort of in-house quick washover of this,” said New Zealand Football Chief Executive Andrew Pragnell. An independent review, also sought by other confederations, could help restore trust, he added.
The dispute follows Infantino’s proposal to sell 20 percent of World Cup commercial rights to private investors for about US$4.2 billion. The plan was later abandoned following strong opposition from several football confederations.
Which confederations still back Infantino?
Infantino continues to have support from Africa and South America, with both confederations declaring their backing. The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee unanimously confirmed its support, although a unified vote from all 54 African members is not guaranteed. Six Arab football association chiefs, including officials from Qatar and Morocco, have also backed Infantino.
Meanwhile, UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and CONCACAF have called for a review of Infantino’s leadership. The growing divide is expected to shape the FIFA presidential election in March next year, when Infantino will seek a fourth term.
Read: US, Canada Back FIFA Governance Reform as Pressure Mounts on Gianni Infantino
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