Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, resigned Friday in protest over a proposal to sell a 20% stake in a new subsidiary that would manage the commercial and media rights of the FIFA World Cup.
In a statement to Sky News, Cordeiro said he had no involvement in the proposal and argued that FIFA already has “extraordinary financial resources,” including billions of dollars in reserves and no debt.
He criticized the plan to give investors a permanent stake in what he described as football’s “most valuable asset” in exchange for raising $4.2 billion, questioning the process, oversight and who would ultimately benefit from the deal.
The proposal would create FIFA Forward Enterprise, a subsidiary valued at $20 billion to manage the commercial rights of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. The initiative has drawn criticism, particularly from UEFA, amid broader concerns over the commercialization of international football.
