A senior adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino who sat on President Donald Trump’s White House World Cup Task Force publicly resigned on Friday over controversial plans to allow private investors to buy stakes in the World Cup.
Carlos Cordeiro, who was a crucial bridge between Infantino and the Trump administration, wrote in his resignation post that he did not have any involvement in the proposal and “unequivocally” opposed it. FIFA announced on Wednesday it would open the tournament to private investment through the creation of a new subsidiary, the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
As part of its plans, FIFA hopes to raise up to $4.2 billion in private-sector capital. Cordeiro, the former head of the United States Soccer Federation and a former Goldman Sachs executive, maintained in his resignation that FIFA “already has access to extraordinary financial resources.”
“Most troubling of all is the absence of answers to fundamental questions,” Cordeiro wrote. “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?”
Trending
Soccer governing bodies across the world, including CONCACAF, the federation in charge of North American soccer, rejected the FFE and said that privatizing the World Cup would jeopardize the sport’s integrity. CONCACAF said in a statement it had concerns over “the lack of due process” surrounding the FFE; UEFA, the powerful European governing body, said its member nations would boycott FIFA competitions if the proposal were enacted.
Infantino, who has grown a close relationship with Trump, reportedly ran the proposal by figures within the president’s orbit. Joshua Kushner — the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — has been considered a potential key investor in the proposal, sources told The Times of London, which first reported on the plans.
When asked Friday whether he had spoken with Infantino about the FIFA president’s proposal, Trump said, “No, I never spoke to him.”
FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour said staff were “deceived” by Infantino’s lack of transparency throughout the planning process this week, and said, “The time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”
“And if that means I lose my job, then so be it,” said Lamour, who said he does not plan to resign. “I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”
FIFA addressed criticisms in a statement late Thursday night, writing that its “planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports.” FIFA said its intentions were to let its member associations “take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries,” and that did not come at the expense of “either the spirit or the governance of FIFA or football itself.”
“Nobody is selling football,” FIFA’s statement said. “This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.”
Author
