Senior FIFA Official Resigns, Opposes Infantino's $20 Billion World Cup Investment Plan

FIFA has been hit by fresh controversy after senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned from his role in protest against President Gianni Infantino's proposal to bring private equity investors into the governing body's commercial business.

Cordeiro, who also represented FIFA on the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup, announced his resignation on Friday, saying he could not support plans to sell a stake in what he described as football's most valuable asset.

The proposal aims to place FIFA's commercial operations, including the men's and women's FIFA World Cups and the Club World Cup, into a $20 billion commercial subsidiary, with 20 per cent ownership offered to private investors. According to FIFA, the lead investor is a New York-based investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, younger brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

A former Goldman Sachs banker and ex-president of the US Soccer Federation, Cordeiro argued that FIFA already enjoys exceptional financial strength and has no need to sell a permanent share of its marquee tournaments.

He pointed out that FIFA generated around $15 billion in revenue over the past four years, largely driven by the recently concluded men's World Cup, while maintaining billions of dollars in reserves and remaining debt-free.

Calling the proposal "a bad deal for football," Cordeiro warned that raising $4.2 billion by selling part of the World Cup's long-term commercial rights would amount to "mortgaging football's future" without sufficient justification.

In his resignation statement, Cordeiro urged other senior FIFA officials to voice their concerns, saying decisions of such significance should serve the interests of the sport rather than investors seeking financial returns.

The development comes as Infantino, who has led FIFA for more than a decade, is widely expected to seek another term as president next year, with the deadline for challengers set for November 18.