FOOTBALL– A SENIOR adviser to Fifa President Gianni Infantino resigned in protest at plans to sell a stake in the World Cup yesterday.
Carlos Cordeiro resigned with immediate effect, calling the plan “a bad deal for football”.
Cordeiro, who was appointed in 2021 by Infantino to help shape Fifa’s future, said the body was “mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification”.
“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 said in a statement.
A former banker and ex-US Soccer Federation vice president, Cordeiro added that he had no involvement in the proposal and opposed it “unequivocally”.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who had been critical of Fifa’s plan when it was announced earlier this week, told reporters yesterday that Infantino was “the wrong man to lead the organisation”.
The European football association, Uefa, has led the widespread opposition to the proposal, accusing Fifa of putting the sport’s “soul” up for sale.
Fifa’s next major event is the women’s Under-20 World Cup in September. Hosts Poland said yesterday they had not received any information about the potential withdrawal of any team from the tournament.
Stuart Dykes, the director of European and Institutional Affairs at Football Supporters Europe, said such decisions could not be taken behind closed doors by a small group of people.
“The national associations should be demanding proper governance, proper consultation, proper stakeholder involvement,” Dykes said.
“Football is not for sale. It’s a social good. Its value is created by the fans and the players... That value is not for Fifa to extract in the interest of private investors.”
Dykes hit out at the lack of transparency behind an initiative that would have a far-reaching impact on the sport. “Decisions of this nature... cannot be taken behind closed doors by a small number of people. Many of them aren’t even involved in football. They’re private investors. Fifa has to reform itself,” he said.
Dykes said Uefa had sent out a strong message by getting all 55 European nations to agree on the decision to boycott Fifa competitions.
“I think the whole of the football community stands behind Uefa on this,” he added.
Czech Football Association President David Trunda said he could see the “positive impact of Fifa’s intentions”, while the Mexican Football Federation said it would study the proposal.
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