Infantino’s closest adviser quits, denounces World Cup plan as ‘bad deal for football’
Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has resigned in protest of a proposal to sell a minority stake in World Cup commercial rights. Cordeiro and several major football confederations argue the deal is detrimental to the future of the sport.
Why it matters
The internal conflict at FIFA threatens the governance and financial structure of the world's most popular sporting event.
Pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino over his controversial World Cup investment proposal has deepened after one of his closest advisers, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned in protest, becoming the most senior figure within the governing body's leadership to publicly break ranks over the plan.Cordeiro, who has served as Infantino's senior adviser since 2021, announced his immediate resignation in a lengthy public statement on Friday, describing FIFA's proposal to sell a minority stake in the commercial rights to its competitions as "a bad deal for football" and questioning both the financial rationale and the governance surrounding the initiative.His departure comes as opposition to the proposal continues to grow, with UEFA, Concacaf and, most recently, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) all publicly rejecting the plans, leaving Infantino facing mounting resistance from both football's governing bodies and now his own inner circle.Cordeiro says he can no longer support the proposalIn a statement announcing his…
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in