Gianni Infantino is under mounting pressure after a senior adviser resigned and Fifa's chief operating officer issued a scathing rebuke over plans to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors. The developments come amid a growing global backlash, with European nations threatening to boycott Fifa competitions unless the scheme is dropped.
Carlos Cordeiro, who had been one of Infantino's senior advisers since 2021, resigned, describing the proposal as "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". He questioned the lack of transparency in the process and noted Fifa had substantial debt-free reserves that could be used for development.
Kevin Lamour, Fifa's chief operating officer, issued an extraordinary statement saying staff and stakeholders had been "deceived" by the president. Lamour, a close associate of Infantino from their time together at Uefa, said the project was not a Fifa project but "the project of one person". He added that the administration had been ignored and accused Infantino of a "unilateral exercise of power", calling it indicative of "a lack of trust, a lack of transparency, a lack of discernment, a lack of good governance. And a serious lack of respect."
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) backed Uefa and Concacaf in opposing the privately funded Fifa Forward Enterprise plan, though it stopped short of a boycott. The AFC said the proposal "cannot realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward" and called for an urgent review of Fifa's governance.
It also emerged that Fifa has opened a tender for research companies to assess the economic benefits of expanding the World Cup to 64 teams, with a highly accelerated timeline. The moves come as Uefa and other confederations reportedly seek candidates to challenge Infantino in next year's Fifa election.
