American Carlos Cordeiro is a former banker who took the plunge into soccer, and was president of the United States Soccer Federation from 2018 to 2020. The following year, he became a senior adviser to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and its president Gianni Infantino, before taking on the same role in 2025 on the White House World Cup task force.
But now Cordeiro has chosen to resign.
"Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I am completely against it. It is a bad deal for FIFA's member nations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the future of the sport," he said.
“Has billions”
Cordeiro further writes that FIFA has several billion dollars in reserves and is completely debt-free, and that FIFA therefore already has the means to develop football to the extent that it believes the sale proposal would enable.
"With that in mind, selling a permanent stake in football's most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion is completely illogical. FIFA is being asked to believe that private investors are needed to achieve a higher value. I do not accept that."
He continues by stating that there are many unanswered questions about the proposal, and that it is problematic that the member associations are expected to make a decision in just under 50 days with so many questions still in the air.
Football first
"FIFA's responsibility is not to maximize commercial revenue at all costs. It is to protect and strengthen football for future generations. When those principles are at odds, football must come first," writes Cordeiro.
FIFA announced on Tuesday that it wants to sell shares in all its tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors through a subsidiary that will handle the commercial rights. FIFA wants the positions of its 211 member associations by September 19.
UEFA and its 55 member associations announced on Thursday that they would boycott all FIFA tournaments “as long as these proposals are in place.” Later, the Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf) and the Asian Confederation also said they would not accept the proposal.
