The New Zealand Football Federation has officially withdrawn its support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA president.

This decision comes after a series of distancing moves that further weaken the Italo-Swiss leader ahead of the March 2027 vote.

On Friday, August 14, New Zealand officially announced it was withdrawing its backing for Gianni Infantino’s bid for another term as FIFA president.

New Zealand Football (NZF) explained its decision by citing a loss of confidence in the global governing body’s leadership and is calling for an independent review of the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project.

This move follows Infantino’s abandonment of his plan to sell a 20% stake in FIFA competitions to private investors—a deal that aimed to raise around $4.2 billion.

The proposal had sparked serious concerns over governance, transparency, and decision-making processes within FIFA.