The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has publicly declared its support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino, rejecting demands from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation that he step down. The endorsement came after an executive committee meeting in Fiji on Wednesday and was released in a statement on Friday, marking the regional body’s first public comments since a controversial World Cup sell-off proposal was abandoned earlier this month.
The OFC said it welcomed Fifa’s decision to withdraw the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan and its commitment to review the issues surrounding the project. The confederation also recognised the progress made over the past decade in advancing football development in Oceania under Fifa’s leadership, and encouraged the world governing body to use the review as an opportunity to identify and implement any necessary changes.
The support from the smallest confederation in world football, with just 11 full members, carries symbolic weight as Infantino faces a leadership challenge at next year’s presidential election. While Uefa, Concacaf and the AFC together represent 143 of Fifa’s 211 member associations, some powerful countries within those blocs, notably Mexico and Qatar, have already signalled they continue to back Infantino. The OFC’s stance completes a symbolic division within world football, with the Confederation of African Football and South America’s Conmebol also siding with the incumbent.
However, New Zealand, the OFC’s largest member and the only confederation nation to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, broke ranks with the regional body. New Zealand Football withdrew its support for Infantino and called for an independent review of the FFE plan, saying that decisions and actions within Fifa had contributed to a breakdown of trust and increased division in international football.
Andrew Pragnell, New Zealand Football’s chief executive, said the decision was grounded in the federation’s values. He argued that everyone connected to football around the globe deserved to know where New Zealand stood, and that the country has always led based on its principles, putting fans and the football community first. He acknowledged there were strong calls for change and expressed concern for Fifa’s staff, describing the situation as difficult for them.
The OFC’s position underscores the continued backing Infantino enjoys among smaller member associations such as American Samoa and the Cook Islands, a theme expected to shape the presidential election. The confederation had repeatedly declined to respond to questions in recent weeks and delayed its statement until two days after the Fiji meeting, a reticence that New Zealand’s defection may help explain.