Two top FIFA officials blasted FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plan to further commercialize the World Cup, with Infantino’s top adviser resigning and the organization’s COO calling the proposal “the project of one person.”
Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, quit Friday and delivered a blistering statement against the plan to bring private investors into the governing body’s business.
Cordeiro is a former Goldman Sachs banker who was the president of U.S. Soccer from 2018 to 2020 and was a major link between Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump. He issued a scathing statement on his way out the door. He said he had “no involvement” in the FIFA proposal and said “I oppose it unequivocally” because it is a “bad deal” for national federations, the sport, and the future of soccer.
“FIFA’s responsibility is not to maximize commercial returns at any cost,” Cordeiro wrote.
FIFA COO Kevin Lamour did not resign, but did tell the Associated Press that senior staff was “deceived” by Infantino’s lack of transparency and “deserve better than contempt and intimidation.”
