Infantino’s FIFA crisis deepens as New Zealand withdraws support

Gianni Infantino continues to lose backing across the world, just as he seeks re-election over the coming months. We aren’t bringing live updates, but catch up below for the latest blow to the FIFA boss’s controversial tenure.

14 August, 11:38 — New Zealand withdraws support for Infantino

New Zealand has become the latest football federation to withdraw its support for under-fire FIFA president Gianni Infantino. New Zealand are the only Oceania Football Confederation member to have withdrawn support, which represents 11 mainly island nations in the Pacific. NZF stated it is seeking an independent review of the steps undertaken to develop the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme.

12 August, 00:53 — Infantino not resigning ’wrong decision’, Lisa Nandy says

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said Gianni Infantino clinging on as FIFA chief is the "wrong decision". Nandy stated: "I think this is the moment to say enough is enough and football should come together for a change of leadership at FIFA."

11 August, 05:35 — Trump backs Infantino

Donald Trump has come to the aid of under-fire FIFA chief Gianni Infantino via a post on his Truth Social page. The US president warned football’s governing body it would be making a "terrible mistake" should its leader be forced out, stating: "He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again!"

10 August, 12:32 — Infantino denies UEFA paid off his alleged mistress

The FIFA chief has strongly denied reports that UEFA paid off an alleged mistress while he was the European football governing body’s general secretary. The Daily Telegraph reported the woman received a six-figure sum after the alleged relationship with Infantino and that UEFA paid for the woman’s MBA degree after she left the organisation. In a statement, UEFA said a "departure payment" was made to a woman as well as "the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school". Football’s governing body has accused critics of a "concerted and ongoing effort" to undermine Infantino.

10 August, 12:32 — Three football confederations attack Infantino in new push for FIFA boss to quit

Three of FIFA’s six continental confederations have issued a joint statement attacking Gianni Infantino over his conduct during the proposed World Cup investment plan. Europe’s UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF said the FIFA boss has broken trust "through deception" over the proposal. The statement accuses the head of world football’s governing body of a "failure of judgement" and of failing to acknowledge his proposal was "inherently wrong" despite pulling the plan.

7 August, 16:20 — Mexico and Argentina back Infantino

Mexico has thrown its support behind the under-fire FIFA chief, breaking ranks with its own regional confederation CONCACAF, which had earlier called for a "comprehensive reckoning" with Gianni Infantino’s presidency. Argentina’s football association also backed FIFA’s work over the past decade and praised its focus on global development.

7 August, 16:02 — ’No going back’: Norway calls on Infantino to resign

Norway has withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Lise Klaveness, the head of the Norwegian Football Federation, said Infantino "does not have the institutional trust required to govern FIFA stably in the times we are in". She went on to say there is "no going back" for Infantino and asked the FIFA president to resign now.

7 August, 00:40 — UEFA could investigate if FIFA’s proposed World Cup sell-off price was undervalued

UEFA is understood to be considering commissioning a study to assess whether FIFA’s proposed $20bn (£15bn) valuation of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) was under market rate. UEFA has reportedly spoken to several market analysts for opinions on an independent valuation and a formal study will likely follow once the chaos surrounding Gianni Infantino’s position has passed.

6 August, 23:38 — South Africa sports minister warns Africa about ’joining public lynching of Infantino’

South Africa’s sports minister has cautioned other nations on the continent against joining widespread criticism of Gianni Infantino. Gayton McKenzie described the attacks on the FIFA chief as a "public lynching".

6 August, 22:54 — Confederation of African Football backs Infantino

The CAF (Confederation of African Football) unanimously reconfirmed its support for Gianni Infantino and thanked him for his support for football on the continent. Dr Patrice Motsepe, the president of CAF, said: "For us in Africa, adherence to governance, due process and transparency is crucial and non-negotiable... We are committed to continue working together with FIFA."

6 August, 22:29 — FIFA’s chief operating officer ’risking his job’ over scathing criticism of Infantino

Guido Tognoni, former director of FIFA, said Kevin Lamour, the sports body’s chief operating officer, is risking his job with his scathing criticism of Gianni Infantino. Lamour said staff were "deceived" by the president’s lack of openness in planning the sale over recent months and "deserve better than contempt and intimidation".

6 August, 21:37 — Is ’clock ticking’ on UEFA to follow through on tournament boycott?

UEFA have said they will stand by their proposed boycott of FIFA tournaments, despite FIFA and Gianni Infantino’s apology. A decision on whether to follow through on their action needs to be made soon, as the FIFA under-20 Women’s World Cup begins in Poland on 5 September. The boycott won’t extend to the men’s senior World Cup, as broadcasters and sponsors will put pressure on the FIFA president.

6 August, 20:57 — Croatia becomes latest country to withdraw support for Infantino

The Croatian Football Federation has become the latest country to withdraw its support for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as president. In a statement, the UEFA member said: "This decision followed a thorough reassessment within the federation in light of recent developments surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026 and discussions within our governing bodies."

6 August, 20:40 — Explained: What was FIFA’s controversial World Cup investment plan?

Plans to sell off a stake in FIFA’s competitions - including the World Cup - were condemned across the footballing world, pushing confederations into open conflict with the global body. The proposals included:

- New company: FIFA wanted to set up a new $20bn (£14.85bn) company to run its competitions, which would have been called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

- Private investors: FIFA aimed to raise up to $4.2bn (£3.1bn) from external investors through the sale of minority, non-controlling stakes in FFE.

- Links to family of Trump’s son-in-law: Joshua Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, was reportedly in line to be the lead investor.

- Accelerated launch: FIFA had plans to receive the first financing in less than 100 days from private investors in an accelerated launch.

- Financial windfalls: FIFA told member associations the $86m (£65m) windfall could help fund bigger salaries for staff. Each member association would also receive a $20m (£14.85m) one-off payment to invest as they see fit.

6 August, 20:10 — Who has declared support for Infantino?

Despite public declarations against Gianni Infantino, several football associations have publicly declared their support for him: Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar, Sri Lanka, UAE, Morocco, Egypt, Mauritania, Niger, DR Congo, Comoros, Malawi, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Gambia all stood by the FIFA president. Many welcomed the end of the investment plan but reaffirmed their backing for Infantino’s leadership and work over the past decade.

6 August, 19:43 — FA formally withdraws Infantino support

The FA has sent a letter to FIFA withdrawing its support for Infantino’s re-election as president. The move comes amid a widespread loss of confidence in Infantino’s leadership after the disastrous attempt to sell off stakes in the World Cup. The timing of their letter being sent — a day after FIFA’s formal apology — is significant, as they have asked for a full review of how things are run at FIFA.

6 August, 19:03 — First criticism from region previously loyal to Infantino as CONMEBOL releases statement

South American football’s governing body has released a statement backing FIFA’s decision to halt its controversial sell-off plans. The statement from CONMEBOL expresses "concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature". It is the first criticism from a region seen previously as loyal to Gianni Infantino, but it does not go as far as withdrawing support for the FIFA chief. CONMEBOL needs to be in FIFA’s favour as it pushes for an expansion of the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams in a bid to host more matches at the 2030 men’s tournament.

6 August, 19:03 — Global players union says trust with FIFA ’deeply shattered’

The global players’ union FIFPRO has said trust is "now deeply shattered" with FIFA over the World Cup shares sell-off and has demanded changes. The union stated that the governing body needed to "establish a legally binding obligation to involve professional football stakeholders in major decisions", including the expansion of tournaments, with voting rights on the FIFA Council. This marks a new rift between the players and Infantino just two months after signing a memorandum of understanding. FIFPRO added: "The FIFA Forward Enterprise episode has demonstrated that it alone is not enough to protect players or football from the unilateral exercise of power. Whatever the outcome of the current crisis, football now needs structural guarantees to ensure that such events can never happen again."