Gianni Infantino has suffered a fresh, heavy blow to his bid to remain at the helm of the International Federation of Association Football. New Zealand have withdrawn their support for his candidacy for a fourth term, a move that comes despite the public appeal by US President Donald Trump to keep him in place.
New Zealand Football are the latest federation to join a wide-ranging retreat from Infantino ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for next year, a fresh sign of his eroding popularity within the international football family, according to Britain's "Mirror".
Growing isolation for the FIFA president
The retreat comes with Infantino, 56, facing sharp criticism over a string of controversial post-World Cup decisions. Chief among them was his attempt to sell a stake in the tournament to private investment firms, a deal led by the investor Josh Kushner that would reportedly have handed the FIFA president himself an annual salary of 30 million dollars.
Rejection was wide and unprecedented. UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation all announced their outright rejection of the project. On top of that, 143 of FIFA's 211 member countries formally opposed Infantino's plans, a sign of the widening circle of opposition as the 2027 elections approach.
A scathing statement from New Zealand
In an official statement across its social media accounts, New Zealand Football announced the full withdrawal of its support for Infantino's candidacy and called for an independent investigation.
The statement said: "New Zealand Football today announces the formal withdrawal of its support for Gianni Infantino's candidacy for the FIFA presidency at the 2027 congress. The federation is seeking an independent review of the steps taken to develop the FIFA project."
It added: "After careful consideration, we concluded that the decisions and actions within FIFA have contributed to a breakdown of trust and increased division in international football, and that an independent review is necessary to restore confidence. We believe that this stage represents an opportunity for all member federations to call for stronger governance, accountability and transparency, which are essential to maintaining confidence in the running of the global game."
Trump's support did not save him
Infantino is contesting re-election next year. If he is not removed before that, he will stand for a fourth and final term at the head of the organisation.
Among his most prominent backers stood US President Donald Trump, 80, given the close relationship the pair struck during the preparation and organisation of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Trump had defended Infantino on social media, branding calls to replace him a "grave mistake". He said: "FIFA would be making a grave mistake if it thought, for any reason whatsoever, of replacing President Gianni Infantino. He is wonderful, having just presided over the most successful World Cup tournament of all time, by a factor of four. If he leaves, the tournament will not be as successful or as profitable as it was before."
That heavy political support has not halted the haemorrhaging of backing. New Zealand now join a long list of federations reconsidering their calculations over the future of FIFA's leadership.