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PRESSURE IS MOUNTING on Fifa president Gianni Infantino after his senior adviser quit over controversial plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

Infantino’s plan has been rejected by the European and Asian confederations, as well as the one representing nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Uefa has confirmed that European national teams will not play in Fifa competitions until the project is scrapped.

The plans to sell a minority stake in a new company, Fifa Forward Enterprise, to private investors first emerged in media reports on Tuesday.

Football’s governing body later confirmed that Thrive Eternal – a company founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – had been earmarked as the leader of the investor group.

Now Carlos Cordeiro, a retired investment banker, has quit his role as top adviser to Infantino, describing the plans to create Fifa Forward Enterprise as a “bad deal for football”.

“Football has been central to my life and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away. That is why this proposal should be rejected,” he said in a statement.

Cordeiro also questioned the need for Fifa to even seek private equity investment in this way, stating:

Fifa already has access to extraordinary financial resources.

“The organisation sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt. The Fifa president himself has highlighted the 15 billion US dollars (€13.07 billion) in revenue generated between 2022 and 2026.

“If member associations believe additional investment is needed to develop the game, Fifa already has the financial capacity to provide that support from its existing resources.

“Against that backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football’s most valuable asset to raise 4.2 billion dollars (€3.66 billion) makes little sense. It is mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification.

He continued: “Fifa is now being asked to believe that outside investors are needed to unlock greater value. I do not accept that proposition. The people who built this success have already demonstrated that Fifa possesses the expertise to continue growing both the game and its commercial future.

“Most troubling of all is the absence of answers to fundamental questions. Why this deal? Why now? What oversight exists? Who benefits? Was there a competitive process? What governance will be in place? What will investors ultimately gain, and at what cost to football?

“These questions remain largely unanswered, and yet member associations are being asked to make a decision of enormous consequence in barely 50 days or risk being left behind. That is not a responsible way to determine the future of the world’s game.”

Cordeiro said the controversial plan “has become a defining question” for Fifa’s future.

“After careful consideration, I can no longer continue in my role as Senior Advisor to the FIFA President. I have therefore resigned with immediate effect,” he said.

“FIFA’s responsibility is not to maximise commercial returns at any cost. It is to protect and strengthen football for future generations. When those principles come into conflict, football must come first.”

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