A prominent member of the International Federation of Football Association, FIFA, announced his resignation from his position today, Friday, in light of his rejection of the proposal to sell shares in the World Cup to private sector investors.
The International Federation of Football Association, headed by Gianni Infantino, caused a major uproar in sports circles after announcing last Tuesday its intention to open the door to investments from external parties.
The European Football Association, UEFA, announced the matter categorically and issued its decision to boycott the World Cup, and CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation followed suit and announced their rejection of the matter.
For his part, FIFA President’s Senior Advisor Carlos Cordeiro announced his resignation from his position on Friday as a result of his opposition to the aforementioned FIFA proposal.
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Cordeiro, 70, held his position for five years after enjoying a professional career in advisory banking services.
Cordeiro said in statements published by the international “Sky Sports” network: “As a high-level advisor to the FIFA president, in addition to being a former banker, and a lifelong football lover, I cannot remain silent while FIFA is considering selling a stake in the World Cup.”
He added: “I had no role in this proposal that I strongly oppose. Football has been the focus of my life, and after working in the banking sector for more than 35 years, I fully understand the value of that asset and the consequences of relinquishing part of it, and therefore I reject that proposal.”
He continued: “It represents a bad deal for the member associations of FIFA, just as it is a bad deal for the game of football, and a bad deal for the future of the game in the long term.”