World Cup on the Line, Infantino Falls Apart: His Right-Hand Man Abandons Him

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, despite pressure and threats of a boycott, is undeterred in his plan to privatize the World Cup and sell shares to the Kushner family foundation, of which Donald Trump’s son-in-law is a member. But in the last few hours, the head of world soccer has suffered two very serious setbacks.

Carlos Cordeiro, the FIFA president’s right-hand man and chief advisor, announced his resignation in a statement: “I want to be clear: I played no role in this proposal and I am categorically opposed to it. This is bad for FIFA’s member associations, bad for soccer, and bad for the long-term future of soccer,” the former banker wrote on Instagram.

Cordeiro’s departure coincided with another piece of bad news for Infantino: the Asian confederation’s rejection of his privatization plan. The AFC has in fact joined UEFA and CONCACAF in condemning Infantino’s unilateral initiative, which is dividing the soccer world. Currently, only CAF, the African federation, supports FIFA, while CONMEBOL has yet to take a position.

FIFA responded to the dissenting confederations with an official statement that, while acknowledging the concerns raised, does not signal any reversal of course. “We have taken note of the comments provided by the respective confederations regarding the proposal to establish the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and wish to address the issues that have arisen following the initial media reports. We respect the comments and concerns expressed publicly and reaffirm our commitment to open and democratic consultation,” the statement reads. FIFA then clarified that “no one is selling soccer,” reiterating that the FFE “was proposed solely to ensure that all FIFA-affiliated associations have the opportunity to assume significant responsibility for soccer’s commercial opportunities in their respective countries.”