Carlos Cordeiro Resigns Over FIFA Investor Plan
Carlos Cordeiro has resigned from his role as a senior adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. In his resignation statement, he described the proposal to sell equity in the commercial side of the FIFA World Cup as “a bad deal” for football and warned it would “mortgage football’s future.”
The departure came just hours after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced its opposition, joining UEFA and Concacaf in rejecting the investor plan. Cordeiro, the former president of the United States Soccer Federation, argued that the plan does not serve the best interests of the global game.
Confederations Unite Against the Proposal
The AFC said it “stands in solidarity” with its European and North‑, Central‑American and Caribbean counterparts, insisting the proposal cannot achieve the broad consensus needed to move forward. It emphasized that the World Cup’s strength lies in the participation of all confederations and leading football nations, and that any plan threatening that unity must be reconsidered.
With UEFA representing 55 member associations, Concacaf 35, and the AFC 46, a unified vote from these three confederations would yield 136 votes against the plan. Since FIFA’s 211 members would need a simple majority of 106 votes for approval, the opposition makes passage highly unlikely.
FIFA’s Response
Despite the growing backlash, FIFA has dismissed the criticism and said it will continue consulting stakeholders on the investor proposal. The governing body maintains that discussions are ongoing, even as key football confederations signal strong resistance.
About the Author
