FIFA President Gianni Infantino has unveiled a daring plan to spin off the organization’s most lucrative assets, including the rights to host and profit from the FIFA World Cup, into a $20 billion subsidiary that would be 20 percent owned by private investors. The proposal, which would place the new entity under the FIFA Forward Enterprise brand, was presented as a way to secure long‑term funding for the sport but quickly attracted sharp criticism.
Resignation of a Key Advisor
Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, announced his resignation shortly after the plan was disclosed. In a brief statement he said he had no involvement in the secretive scheme and described it as "a bad deal for football," emphasizing that the proposal lacked transparency and could undermine the sport’s integrity.
The Asian Football Confederation joined Europe’s UEFA and North America’s CONCACAF in openly rejecting the proposal, citing FIFA’s governance weaknesses and calling for an urgent review of decision‑making processes. Both continental bodies warned that they would consider a boycott of all FIFA‑sanctioned events if the plan proceeded without substantial revisions.
The fallout threatens to disrupt the upcoming Women’s Under‑20 World Cup in Poland, scheduled to begin on September 5, as European federations have hinted at a possible withdrawal should the dispute remain unresolved. Meanwhile, FIFA has set a November 18 deadline for presidential candidates to declare their intentions, with elections slated for March 2025 in Rabat, Morocco.
The controversy also casts a shadow over other FIFA‑related matters, including the eligibility dispute surrounding player Folarin Balogun, and raises questions about the role of private equity firms such as Goldman Sachs in shaping the future of global soccer governance.