Andy Burnham told reporters during a visit to Sheffield that FIFA's plan to sell a minority stake in a new company, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to private investors was an "outrageous suggestion" and that Gianni Infantino was "the wrong man to lead the organisation."
Plan and lead investor
The proposal first surfaced in media reports on Tuesday. FIFA later confirmed that Thrive Eternal, a company established by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, had been identified as the lead investor.
The scheme has been rejected by the European and Asian confederations, as well as the body representing nations from North and Central America. European nations threatened to boycott FIFA competitions unless the project was abandoned, which Infantino did in the late hours of Friday night.
Burnham's call for resignation
Burnham, a passionate Everton supporter, called for Infantino to step down as head of football's international governing body. He said: "This was an outrageous suggestion. The idea that it could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, that [Infantino] is the wrong man to lead the organisation."
FIFA figures resign and criticise
Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, announced his resignation on Friday morning, describing the FFE proposal as "a bad deal for football." FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour also criticised the plan, stating that staff had been "deceived" by Infantino's lack of transparency in devising the scheme and "deserve better than contempt and intimidation."
Concerns over 64-team World Cup
Critics of the proposals raised concerns that private investors would pursue increasingly large and frequent tournaments to maximise their returns. FIFA is seeking an independent agency to examine expanding the men's World Cup from 48 to 64 teams, starting with the next tournament in 2030, according to documents obtained by the Press Association.
The documents suggest supporter views would not be central to the work. The FIFA brief stated: "Consumer or fan evidence may be used where it helps, but it should not become the centre of the study that remains a B2B (business-to-business) focused study."
The brief added: "The analysis should enable a clear strategic judgment: does a 64-team format expand global relevance and participation in a way that strengthens the football economy, or do dilution, calendar congestion, execution complexity and saturation undermine the proposition?"
Boycott threats and political reaction
A boycott of FIFA tournaments by the European governing body UEFA would see England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland withdrawing from participation, alongside other European nations.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy supported the boycott, declaring: "Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It's time to take a stand to protect our game." Burnham has also supported UEFA's position on the matter.
