According to the Associated Press, FIFA President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup has met with significant internal opposition, with two senior FIFA officials publicly criticizing the proposal. One has resigned as a presidential advisor, while the other accused the plan of lacking transparency and "deceiving staff."

Carlos Cordeiro, who represented FIFA in the White House's 2026 FIFA World Cup task force, announced his resignation as a senior advisor to Infantino in protest of FIFA's plan to introduce private capital and sell FIFA World Cup-related rights.

In his resignation statement, Cordeiro said, "I cannot sit idly by while FIFA considers selling FIFA World Cup shares." He also called on other senior FIFA employees to publicly express their positions.

The former U.S. Soccer Federation president and former Goldman Sachs banker explicitly stated that he was not involved in the plan's development and strongly opposed it.

"Football has been my life. Having worked in banking for over 35 years, I understand the value of this asset and the consequences of selling a part of it. Therefore, this proposal should be rejected."

Meanwhile, FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin LaMour also severely criticized the plan. He told the Associated Press that Infantino lacked transparency in advancing the private investor scheme, leading to FIFA employees being "deceived."

"They should not be dismissed or intimidated," LaMour said. "This is a project by one person. Not only should this project not proceed, but now is also the time for football administrators to seriously consider and make the right decisions."

LaMour has not yet resigned but stated that he has a responsibility to speak out for his colleagues: "If this means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I can sleep soundly tonight."

It is reported that Infantino proposed establishing a commercial subsidiary named "FIFA Forward Enterprise" to consolidate the commercial rights of FIFA events such as the FIFA World Cup, men's and women's Club FIFA World Cups. The company is estimated to be worth $20 billion, with plans to sell a 20% stake to private investors.

FIFA previously stated that the core investor in the plan is a New York-based investment firm founded by American businessman Joshua Kushner.

Cordeiro believes that FIFA does not need to sell FIFA World Cup rights to obtain funds.

"FIFA already has enormous financial resources, the organization has billions in reserves, and no debt. Over the past four years, revenue related to the recently concluded men's FIFA World Cup has reached $15 billion."

He stated: "Against this backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football's most important asset to raise $4.2 billion makes no sense. This is mortgaging the future of football without sufficient reason."

Cordeiro also emphasized that major decisions should serve football itself, not benefit investors.

"Such important decisions should be based on the interests of football, not those who profit from it."

Infantino has been FIFA President for over 10 years and was expected to be re-elected in next March's presidential election. FIFA has set November 18 as the deadline for other candidates to announce their candidacy.

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