Infantino’s FIFA presidency called untenable after World Cup sell-off collapses

Carlos Cordeiro, the senior FIFA adviser who represented world soccer's governing body on the White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup, resigned on Friday in protest of the organization's plan to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors, calling it "a bad deal for football."reuters+1

The resignation capped a turbulent week for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who unveiled the proposal on Tuesday and was forced to scrap it by Friday night after facing opposition from more than 100 national federations, a threatened European boycott, and dissent from within his own ranks.espn+1

A Deal That Collapsed in Days

Infantino's plan called for the creation of a $20 billion subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprises, which would manage commercial rights to World Cups and other FIFA competitions. The organization aimed to sell roughly 20 percent of the entity to private investors, raising $4.2 billion. The anchor investor was a New York-based firm run by Joshua Kushner, brother of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.npr+1

"I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup," Cordeiro said in his resignation statement. "Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally."espn+1

Cordeiro, a former vice chairman at Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ↗ 0.66% and past president of U.S. Soccer, questioned the rationale for the deal, noting that FIFA already holds billions in reserves and carries no debt. "Selling a permanent stake in football's most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion makes little sense," he wrote. "It is mortgaging football's future without any compelling justification."apnews+1

Infantino's Leadership Under Fire

On Saturday, UEFA and CONCACAF formally declared they had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership. UEFA said "no option should be off the table" as it pursues a full review of how the proposal came about.espn+1

On Sunday, Claudius Schaefer, head of the European Leagues — which represents 53 professional men's and women's football leagues — went further, telling Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung that Infantino's position appeared untenable.reuters

"When I saw how this whole thing unfolded and that FIFA's key bodies weren't involved, then there's essentially only one consequence in any company or association," Schaefer said. Asked if this meant Infantino was now unacceptable as FIFA president, he replied: "This is usually the consequence when someone in a company pushes such a business deal forward without anyone knowing about it."straitstimes+1

What Comes Next

Schaefer said the proposal revealed that FIFA's primary aim was to maximize profits for outside parties through more and larger competitions, at the expense of national leagues. "Nobody knew about the plans, not even the FIFA Council, the governing body of FIFA," he said.reuters

Infantino said in his Friday statement that he would engage with stakeholders in the coming days and weeks "to continue growing football everywhere." Whether that reassurance will be enough to preserve his presidency remains an open question, with UEFA signaling a "thorough and fundamental" review ahead.apnews+2