Top FIFA adviser quits over Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan

FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s controversial “sell the World Cup” plan has spilled into a major crisis, prompting the resignation from senior advisor to Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro.

The shocking resignation from FIFA’s top official comes after the proposal presented by football’s governing body to sell a stake in its World Cups to private investors.

On Friday, Cordeiro announced his decision to step down from his position “with immediate effect in protest to proposals to seek private investment in a newly formed FIFA Forward Enterprise venture, ‌calling the plan a bad deal for football and would mortgage football's future.”

“The ⁠FIFA President himself has highlighted the $15bn in revenue generated between 2022 and 2026,” Cordeiro added, saying FIFA already had the financial resources to provide additional support to member associations from its existing resources.

“Against that backdrop, selling ⁠a permanent stake in football’s most valuable asset to raise $4.2bn makes little sense.”

Cordeiro's decision comes on the heels of Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) statement issued in solidarity with its member associations in Europe, North, Central America, and the Caribbean.

According to the AFC statement, “Infantino's plan could not "realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward".

"The Fifa World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all Confederations and the world's leading football nations," it said.

"Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered."

As per APC, it is highly unlikely that this plan will ever get approval by FIFA members if put to vote.

The controversial plan drew global backlash from member associations as UEFA threatened to boycott the World Cup. The European Leagues organisation said FIFA’s plans represented "a reckless and divisive development for world football.”

CONCACAF also slammed FIFA president’s decision. La Liga president Javier Tebas slammed Infantino’s leadership and governance, stating the leadership cannot go well when one mixes discipline, money, power and politics.

In response to the global outrage, FIFA defended its decision and said the body respects every feedback, stating, “We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each member has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”

Cordeiro was responsible for representing FIFA on White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup.