Cordeiro resigns as FIFA World Cup sale plan fuels boycott threat

Carlos Cordeiro, one of FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s closest advisers, has resigned with immediate effect in protest at what he called an “outrageous plan to sell the World Cup”.

The former president of the United States Soccer Federation said he could not remain silent while FIFA considered allowing private investors to buy permanent stakes in the tournament. His departure is the strongest internal challenge yet to Infantino and has intensified opposition to the proposed restructuring.

The plan would involve creating a FIFA subsidiary called the FIFA Forward Foundation to oversee the World Cup. It would also enable private investment in the competition, described in the source report as the most valuable property in world football.

Cordeiro said the proposal amounted to “mortgaging the future of football without a compelling justification”. His resignation has placed both the future of the FIFA Forward Foundation and the wider privatisation plan under serious pressure.

Opposition has extended beyond FIFA’s executive offices. England and every country within UEFA have announced they would boycott future competitions if the deal is approved. Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation have also issued firm statements rejecting the proposal.

The rare show of unity among major confederations has left Infantino facing mounting international pressure.

In a strongly worded statement reported by Sky News, Cordeiro said: “As a senior adviser to the FIFA president, a former banker and a lifelong lover of football, I cannot remain silent while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup.”

He added: “I had no role in this proposal, and I strongly oppose it. It is a bad deal for member associations, a bad deal for football and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game.”

Cordeiro also challenged the financial reasoning behind the plan, arguing that FIFA already had the resources required to provide further investment in football.

“FIFA has enormous financial resources, billions of dollars in reserves and no debt,” he said. “The president himself has pointed to revenues of $15bn between 2022 and 2026. If associations need additional investment to develop the game, FIFA already has the ability to provide it from its existing resources.”

He continued: “Selling a permanent stake in football’s most valuable asset to raise $4.2bn makes no sense. This economic success was not an accident; it was the result of professionals who broke FIFA’s commercial records. To ask us now to believe that we need outside investors to create greater value… I reject that argument.”

Despite the backlash, Infantino is said to be determined to continue with his plans.

The Sun reported that the proposed deal would include a salary of £1m a week for Infantino. That claim has further intensified criticism from those who accuse the FIFA president of putting personal interests ahead of the wider needs of football.

The dispute now threatens to become one of the most significant conflicts of Infantino’s presidency, with the investment proposal facing resistance from senior figures within FIFA and from leading football organisations around the world.