Carlos Cordeiro, top advisor to FIFA President, resigns over World Cup plan

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald on Jul 31, 2026

Published in Soccer

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MIAMI — Carlos Cordeiro, a top advisor to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and a former Goldman Sachs banker who served on the White House World Cup Task Force, resigned on Friday amid global opposition to Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in future World Cups to private equity funds.

“As a Senior Advisor to the FIFA President, a former banker, and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro wrote in a statement.

Infantino is proposing creating a $20 billion subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to run the World Cup and other events, with a stake of up to 20% to be offered to private investors.

The lead investor would be a New York-based firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

“Let me be clear," the statement continues, "I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally. 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. Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away. That is why this proposal should be rejected.”

The former U.S. Soccer Federation president, who lives in Miami, added that FIFA has plenty of money at its disposal without Infantino’s plan.

“FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources,” Cordero wrote. “The organization sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt. The FIFA President himself has highlighted the $15 billion in revenue generated between 2022 and 2026 …FIFA’s responsibility is not to maximize commercial returns at any cost. It is to protect and strengthen football for future generations. When those principles come into conflict, football must come first.”

Cordeiro was the latest soccer official to oppose the plan.

On Thursday, UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, announced a boycott of the World Cup and all FIFA-run competitions if this proposal was approved.

CONCACAF, the soccer federations for North and Central America and the Caribbean, did not go so far as to announce a boycott, but it issued a statement in solidarity with UEFA, critical of Infantino for not going through the proper channels before trying to push the plan through. The Asian Football Confederation also is opposed to the plan.

FIFA issued a response to the backlash late Thursday night: “We have heard the feedback provided by the respective confederations in relation to the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and would like to address the issues that have surfaced since the initial media reporting on Tuesday.

“We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation.

⁠“Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”

The statement continued: “FFE has been proposed solely to ensure that all FIFA Member Associations (MAs) have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries, and that this does not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of FIFA or football itself.

“Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.”