Carlos Cordeiro, a senior FIFA adviser who served as the organization’s representative on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned Friday in protest of FIFA’s proposed private equity deal.
“I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro said in a resignation statement addressed to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, also urging other senior officials inside the governing body to voice their objections.
Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker, had frequently accompanied Infantino on recent working visits to the White House for meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” said Cordeiro, who previously served as president of the U.S. Soccer Federation. He described the proposed $20 billion commercial subsidiary as “a bad deal for football.”
“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,” Cordeiro said. “That is why this proposal should be rejected.”
Infantino’s plan would move FIFA’s commercial operations — including the men’s and women’s World Cups and Club World Cups — into a subsidiary valued at $20 billion, with private investors taking a 20% stake.
Cordeiro’s resignation came one day after The Post reported that UEFA was preparing to boycott the World Cup and all FIFA-run competitions in response to the disputed proposal.
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies,” UEFA said in a statement.
“It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”
The “anchor investor,” described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources. The organization sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt,” Cordeiro said, noting FIFA’s revenue of $15 billion over the last four years tied to the men’s Wold Cup just ended.
“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.
Cordeiro said he shared five years working for FIFA alongside Infantino with “dedicated, principled people who care deeply about the game.”
