Carlos Cordeiro, senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, has resigned with immediate effect in protest over proposals to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup, calling the plan "a bad deal for football."
"Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally," Cordeiro said in a statement. "It is a bad deal for FIFA's Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."
Cordeiro, a former president of the U.S. Soccer Federation who has served as Infantino's senior adviser since 2021, is the most senior FIFA official to break ranks publicly over the proposal.
FIFA announced the proposal on Tuesday, unveiling plans for a new commercial vehicle called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), described as a subsidiary that would "consolidate FIFA's commercial and event operations".
The venture would be valued at around USD 20 billion, with FIFA offering external investors, reportedly including JP Morgan and Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital, a stake of roughly 20 per cent.
FIFA said the sale could raise up to USD 4.2 billion for grassroots football development while insisting it would retain "exclusive authority" over competitions, governance and sporting decisions.
To secure support, Infantino also offered each of FIFA's 211 member associations USD 40 million if they backed the plan by 19 September.
The backlash has been swift and widespread. UEFA's 55 member associations voted unanimously to boycott FIFA tournaments over the proposal, with the confederation accusing FIFA of "crossing a line".
CONCACAF's 41 member associations rejected the proposal outright, saying they were "deeply concerned by the lack of due process" after learning of the plan through media reports rather than through consultation.
Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa called FIFA's failure to consult its members "totally unacceptable", warning the plan "will not succeed" without the support of all six confederations.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) said its executive committee would meet to evaluate the proposal, while the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) said it would discuss the issue next month.
CONMEBOL, South America's governing body, has not commented publicly.
FIFPRO, the global players' union, has also warned the proposal could reshape the incentives underpinning the game.
Cordeiro's resignation adds further pressure on Infantino, who continues to defend the proposal as essential to funding football's development worldwide.
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