FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing mounting pressure after senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest over a proposal to sell a minority stake in a new commercial entity that would hold the governing body’s media and commercial rights, including those of the FIFA World Cup.
Cordeiro, a former president of the U.S. Soccer Federation who has served as Infantino’s senior adviser since 2021, announced his resignation on Friday, describing the proposal as “a bad deal for football.”
The resignation comes amid growing opposition from several continental football confederations, including UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which have raised concerns over the governance, transparency and long-term implications of the proposed restructuring.
Under the proposal, FIFA would establish a commercial subsidiary known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), valued at approximately $20 billion, with plans to sell up to a 20 percent stake to private investors. The move is expected to generate about $4.2 billion in fresh capital.
In his resignation statement, Cordeiro argued that FIFA has little financial need for such a transaction, noting that the organisation has substantial cash reserves, no debt, and generated approximately $15 billion in revenue during the 2022–2026 commercial cycle.
“As a senior adviser to the FIFA president, a former banker and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro said. He added that the proposal was “a bad deal for football” and warned it would mortgage the sport’s future without sufficient justification.
Opposition to the proposal has intensified in recent days, with UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC publicly questioning both the substance of the plan and the process through which it was developed.
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UEFA has criticised what it described as inadequate consultation with member associations, while CONCACAF cited concerns over governance and due process. The AFC also expressed reservations and called for greater transparency before any decision is taken.
Collectively, the three confederations represent a majority of FIFA’s 211 member associations, significantly reducing the proposal’s chances of securing approval if it proceeds to a vote.
Despite the growing backlash, FIFA has maintained that no final decision has been made and described the current exercise as a consultation process with member associations.
The governing body said it remains committed to engaging stakeholders and insisted that any restructuring would ultimately be subject to approval through FIFA’s established governance procedures.
The controversy represents one of the most significant internal challenges to Infantino’s leadership in recent years, with Cordeiro’s resignation highlighting divisions within FIFA over the future commercial direction of world football.