{"id":504837,"date":"2026-02-26T07:31:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T07:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/504837\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T07:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T07:31:10","slug":"oceania-leaders-celebrate-progress-in-decade-under-fifa-president-gianni-infantino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/504837\/","title":{"rendered":"Oceania leaders celebrate progress in decade under FIFA President Gianni Infantino"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Oceania region has truly connected to the global game during the decade under the leadership of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, according to the two leading football officials in the region.<\/p>\n

To mark the 10th anniversary of Infantino\u2019s election on February 26, 2016, Oceania Football Confederations (OFC) President Lambert Maltock acknowledged that the FIFA President has used football as an effective tool to unite all corners of the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd not just by words or lip service, he talks the talk and walks the talk,\u201d says Maltock, pointing to the direct entry into the 2026 FIFA World Cup\u2122 for the top Oceania team, the increase in OFC age-group teams in FIFA World Cups\u2122 and Auckland City FC competing in the recent FIFA Club World Cup\u2122.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo previous FIFA President ever succeeded to accomplish such global unity through football,\u201d says Maltock.<\/p>\n

OFC General Secretary Franck Castillo has also seen a genuine shift since\u00a0Gianni Infantino was elected in the way global football embraces Oceania.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FIFA President has consistently ensured that our region is not only heard, but actively supported. His backing was instrumental in New Zealand co-hosting the FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup\u2122, a milestone that inspired a new generation across the Pacific and showcased Oceania\u2019s capability on the world stage,\u201d says Castillo.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>OFC President Lambert Maltock and FIFA President Gianni Infantino during their visit to Papua New Guinea in 2023. Photo Credit: FIFA<\/p>\n

The General Secretary says that FIFA\u2019s focus on development under Infantino has strengthened the foundations of football,\u00a0\u00a0from infrastructure and governance to the historic launch of the OFC Pro League, which he describes as \u201ca transformative step for professional football in our region.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past ten years, we have seen unprecedented investment and belief in Oceania\u2019s potential. This has empowered OFC to grow with confidence, ambition, and a clear vision for the future,\u201d says Castillo.<\/p>\n

OFC President Maltock describes the OFC Pro League as Infantino\u2019s legacy in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the support of President Gianni Infantino, the OFC Professional League would never have happened. Thanks to his constant support, the people of the Pacific are proud to have such a coveted platform for kids around the region to aspire to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maltock points out that Infantino was also the first FIFA President to visit all 11 OFC member associations in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis visits to all these island nations brought massive inspirations, encouragement and gratifications from all over Oceania. It was really for the first the whole of Oceania and the Pacific region felt that they truly belonged to the FIFA family.\u201d<\/p>\n

During nine years as OFC President, Maltock says Infantino has been the only FIFA President who has put in place regulations and mechanism to fight against all forms of corruptive practices \u201dwithin the system and governance of FIFA, as well as on the field play with players and referees and ensure that they are enforced in full terms of the law\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me personally, Gianni Infantino is simply a \u2018leader par excellence\u2019 who respects all classes of people throughout all societies across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: FIFA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Oceania region has truly connected to the global game during the decade under the leadership of FIFA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":504838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-504837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}