Senior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned from his role on Friday after strongly opposing FIFA’s proposal to sell a stake in its commercial business to private investors, reported news agency AP. Cordeiro, who represented FIFA on the White House Task Force for the FIFA World Cup, said he could not support the plan because it would hand over part of football’s most valuable commercial rights to outside investors.
His resignation comes at a time when FIFA President Gianni Infantino is pushing one of the biggest financial changes in the organisation’s history.
Who is Carlos Cordeiro?
Carlos Cordeiro is a former president of the US Soccer Federation and an experienced investment banker who spent over 30 years at Goldman Sachs. In recent years, he served as a senior adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino and represented FIFA on the White House Task Force for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, reported AP.
As part of that role, Cordeiro frequently joined Infantino during official visits to the White House, where they met US President Donald Trump while preparations for the 2026 tournament moved forward.
Due to his background in global finance, Cordeiro said he understands the long-term value of sports assets and the financial consequences of selling ownership stakes in them.
Why did Carlos Cordeiro resign from FIFA?
In a statement announcing his resignation, he said, “I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup.” He also made it clear that he had no role in developing the proposal. “Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” he said, as reported by AP.
The resignation centres on FIFA’s proposal to place its commercial businesses into a new company valued at around $20 billion. Under the plan, FIFA would transfer commercial rights linked to tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, the Women’s World Cup and the Club World Cup into a separate commercial subsidiary, reported AP. Private investors would own about 20% of that business.
According to FIFA, the lead investor is a New York-based investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is Donald Trump’s son-in-law, reported AP.
Cordeiro said that FIFA does not need outside money because the organisation already has strong finances. “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,” he said, as reported by AP. “That is why this proposal should be rejected,” he added.
He also questioned why FIFA would sell part of its commercial future when it already has billions of dollars in reserves and carries no debt. “FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources. The organization sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt,” he said.
Cordeiro said that FIFA generated about $15 billion in revenue during the last four-year cycle, largely because of the recently completed men’s World Cup, reported AP. “Against that backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football’s most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion makes little sense. It is mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification,” he said.
His criticism focused not only on the financial structure but also on the long-term control of football’s commercial rights.
Before stepping down, Cordeiro praised many people inside FIFA who have worked with him over the past five years. At the same time, he encouraged senior officials to express their views on the proposal.
“I hope they, too, will speak up,” he said. “Because decisions of this magnitude should be made in the interests of football, not those who stand to profit from it,” he said, as reported by AP.