Gianni Infantino under mounting pressure as senior adviser quits over World Cup sell-off plan | OneFootball

Pressure is mounting on Fifa president Gianni Infantino following the resignation of his senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, over contentious plans to sell a stake in a World Cup company to private investors.

Infantino’s proposal has already faced significant opposition, after being rejected by the European and Asian confederations, alongside the body representing nations from North and Central America and the Caribbean. European nations have explicitly stated they will refuse to participate in Fifa competitions should the project proceed.

Cordeiro, in announcing his departure, described the initiative to create Fifa Forward Enterprise as a "bad deal for football".

He elaborated in a statement: "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. That is why this proposal should be rejected."

A senior advisor to Fifa president Gianni Infantino, pictured, has quit over plans to sell stakes in a World Cup company to private investors (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)

It has been a difficult 24 hours for Fifa and Infantino after Uefa’s members announced they would boycott future major tournament if Fifa’s World Cup proposal went ahead.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Uefa confirmed: “No Uefa national teams will participate in any Fifa competition for so long as these proposals remain alive.

“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football,” Uefa added. “The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in Fifa competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure.”

Concacaf, the governing body that represents North and Central America as well as the Caribbean followed Uefa in rejecting Fifa’s plan.

A press release from Concacaf underscored their opposition, stating: "The discussion reinforced the need for greater transparency and proper governance. For these reasons, Concacaf and its 41 Member Associations have: Rejected the proposal."

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) later joined Uefa and Concacaf in rejecting Fifa’s proposal.

The AFC’s statement read: "The AFC stands in solidarity with Uefa and Concacaf in expressing serious concerns over Fifa’s proposal to introduce private investment into Fifa’s flagship competitions and the decision-making process around FFE."

It continued: "The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a Fifa World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game. Football should never have been placed in such a position."