FIFA World Cup Sale Controversy: As European football threatened a boycott and regional confederations banded together to oppose the contentious proposal, a senior advisor to FIFA President Gianni Infantino quit on Friday in protest at plans to sell an interest in the World Cup. Carlos Cordeiro called the idea “a bad deal for football” and resigned with immediate effect. Cordeiro claimed that FIFA was “mortgaging football’s future without any compelling justification.” Infantino had chosen Cordeiro in 2021 to help design the organization’s future.
FIFA World Cup Sale: What did Cordeiro say about Gianni Infantino’s plan?
“It is a bad deal for FIFA’s Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game,” Cordeiro said in a statement. A former banker and ex-U.S. Soccer Federation vice president, Cordeiro added that he had no involvement in the proposal and opposed it “unequivocally”.
What is FIFA World Cup Sale Controversy?
Despite the mounting opposition, Switzerland-based FIFA said “incorrect media reports” this week had disrupted its planned consultation process but that it would press on with putting the proposal in front of its 211 national football associations. “We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA (Member Association) has the ability to express its vote based on facts,” it said in a statement issued in the middle of the European night.
FIFA has proposed creating a $20-billion subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to run the World Cup and its other events, with a stake of up to 20% to be offered to external investors. Thrive Eternal, a fund run by Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, was expected to lead the proposed investor group, FIFA said. Joshua is the brother of Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
UEFA Threatens FIFA Boycott
The European football association, UEFA, has led the widespread opposition to the proposal, accusing FIFA of putting the sport’s “soul” up for sale.
On Thursday, UEFA’s 55 member nations voted unanimously to boycott all FIFA tournaments, less than two weeks after Spain were crowned World Cup champions.
“Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain,” FIFA responded in Friday’s statement.
“Everyone has the right to express their opposition and to seek further clarification but no single entity can claim to represent all 211 MAs around the world.
“Each MA should be allowed to review the proposal and have a say in shaping their own future. These are the democratic principles of FIFA.”
CONCACAF and AFC Join UEFA in FIFA Criticism
CONCACAF, the regional federation for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, rejected the proposal during a meeting on Thursday but the 41-member body did not follow UEFA with a boycott threat.
The Asian Football Confederation, comprised of 47 members, issued a statement on Friday saying it “stands in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF, but also stopped short of threatening a boycott.
(With Agency Inputs)
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Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
