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Gianni Infantino's position is under growing pressure. Alamy Stock Photo
Under Pressure
Infantino's top adviser quit and released a scathing statement about the World Cup investment row
Carlos Cordeiro described the plans as a “bad deal for football” and said Fifa “already has access to extraordinary financial resources”.
PRESSURE IS MOUNTING on Fifa president Gianni Infantino after his senior adviser quit over controversial plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
Infantino’s plan has been rejected by the European and Asian confederations, as well as the one representing nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Uefa has confirmed that European national teams will not play in Fifa competitions until the project is scrapped.
The plans to sell a minority stake in a new company, Fifa Forward Enterprise, to private investors was first reported by The Times of London and the Financial Times on Tuesday.
Football’s governing body later confirmed that Thrive Eternal – a company founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – had been earmarked as the leader of the investor group.
Infantino previously indicated that the proposals would need a straight majority to go through – meaning 106 of its 211 members needed to vote in favour for the proposal. It now looks unlikely that the plans would be approved should they be put to a vote.
Now Carlos Cordeiro, a retired investment banker, has quit his role as top adviser to Infantino, describing the plans to create Fifa Forward Enterprise as a “bad deal for football”.
“Football has been central to my life and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away. That is why this proposal should be rejected,” he said in a statement.
Cordeiro also questioned the need for Fifa to even seek private equity investment in this way, stating:
Fifa already has access to extraordinary financial resources.
“The organisation sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt. The Fifa president himself has highlighted the 15 billion US dollars (€13.07 billion) in revenue generated between 2022 and 2026.
‘Mortgaging football’s future without justification’
“If member associations believe additional investment is needed to develop the game, Fifa already has the financial capacity to provide that support from its existing resources.
“Against that backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football’s most valuable asset to raise 4.2 billion dollars (€3.66 billion) makes little sense. It is mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification.”
He continued: “Fifa is now being asked to believe that outside investors are needed to unlock greater value. I do not accept that proposition. The people who built this success have already demonstrated that Fifa possesses the expertise to continue growing both the game and its commercial future.
“Most troubling of all is the absence of answers to fundamental questions. Why this deal? Why now? What oversight exists? Who benefits? Was there a competitive process? What governance will be in place? What will investors ultimately gain, and at what cost to football?
“These questions remain largely unanswered, and yet member associations are being asked to make a decision of enormous consequence in barely 50 days or risk being left behind. That is not a responsible way to determine the future of the world’s game.”
Cordeiro said the controversial plan “has become a defining question” for Fifa’s future.
“After careful consideration, I can no longer continue in my role as Senior Advisor to the FIFA President. I have therefore resigned with immediate effect,” he said.
“FIFA’s responsibility is not to maximise commercial returns at any cost. It is to protect and strengthen football for future generations. When those principles come into conflict, football must come first.”
Criticism
Uefa, which has 55 member associations, was the first confederation to turn the screw on Infantino’s proposal. It announced on Thursday that European nations would boycott Fifa competitions until the plan was scrapped.
Statement on behalf of UEFA and its 55 National Associations
— UEFA (@UEFA) July 30, 2026
Its main grievance was the potential for private investor influence to affect Fifa’s competitions, amid fears they would grow in size and frequency to maximise returns.
“The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever,” Uefa said.
“Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure,” it said.
“From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.”
Concacaf, which oversees football in North, Central America and the Caribbean, did not go as far as Uefa, but said it had “deep concerns” about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant Fifa governance bodies.
The confederation, which has 35 member associations, also questioned the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing Fifa Forward programmes “following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history”.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which has 46 member associations, said it stands in solidarity with Uefa and Concacaf “in expressing serious concerns over FIFA’s proposal” and called for an “urgent review” of Fifa’s governance and decision-making process.
‘Nobody is selling football’
In the early hours of this morning, Fifa issued a statement stating that it had “heard the feedback provided by the respective confederations” and insisted that the consultation process would continue.
“We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation,” it said.
”Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”
The statement continued: “FFE has been proposed solely to ensure that all Fifa Member Associations (MAs) have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries, and that this does not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of Fifa or football itself.
“Nobody is selling football. This is not something Fifa would ever entertain.”
With reporting from Press Association
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