Prime Minister Andy Burnham has described Gianni Infantino as “the wrong man” to lead Fifa, as opposition to the president’s plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors continued to grow.
Burnham criticised the proposal after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) became the third confederation to reject it, following similar opposition from Uefa and Concacaf.
“This was an outrageous suggestion,” Burnham told reporters on Friday.
“The idea that it could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, [he] is the wrong man to lead the organisation.”
The AFC said it “stands in solidarity” with its counterparts in Europe and North, Central America and the Caribbean, adding that Infantino’s plan could not “realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward”.
“The Fifa World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all Confederations and the world’s leading football nations,” the AFC said.
“Any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered.”
The statement was followed by the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance. Cordeiro said the proposal was “a bad deal for football” and would “mortgage football’s future”.
The growing opposition means Infantino’s plans are unlikely to pass if they are put to a vote of Fifa’s 211 member associations.
Infantino has indicated that a simple majority would be required, meaning 106 votes would be needed. Uefa has 55 members, Concacaf has 35 and the AFC has 46.
If every association supported the position taken by its confederation, 136 countries would oppose the plan.
The AFC also criticised Fifa for establishing the “direction of travel” on a “significant initiative” before properly consulting the organisations affected by it.
It said the lack of consultation had “exposed fundamental weaknesses in Fifa’s consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed”.
The confederation added that member associations, confederations and even Fifa’s own governing bodies, including the Fifa Council, had been left feeling “sidelined”.
“The Fifa World Cup, and the game itself, belong to the entire global football family,” it said.
“Their future must always be shaped collectively, through institutions that reflect the voices of all Confederations and member associations.
“The AFC calls upon Fifa to undertake an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework to ensure that proposals of global significance are developed through proper consultation, meaningful engagement and appropriate oversight by Fifa’s statutory bodies.”
Cordeiro resigns and questions investor plan
Cordeiro had served as a senior adviser to Fifa for four years and 11 months. Appointed in September 2021, he is the first senior Fifa figure to resign over the proposed changes.
A former investment banker with Goldman Sachs, Cordeiro also represented Fifa on the White House taskforce for the 2026 World Cup. He was previously president of US Soccer.
In a lengthy statement, he said he “unequivocally” opposed the proposals and “did not accept the proposition” that Fifa needed external investors to “unlock greater value”.
“The proposal has become a defining question for Fifa’s future,” he wrote.
“Fifa’s responsibility is not to maximise commercial returns at any cost. It is to protect and strengthen football for future generations.
“When those principles come into conflict, football must come first.”
Cordeiro said he had played no part in developing the proposal.
“Most troubling of all is the absence of answers to fundamental questions,” he added. “Why this deal? Why now? What oversight exists? Who benefits?”
“These questions remain largely unanswered, and yet member associations are being asked to make a decision of enormous consequence in barely 50 days or risk being left behind.
“That is not a responsible way to determine the future of the world’s game.”
How Fifa’s plans would work
Fifa and Infantino want to establish a commercial subsidiary to operate the organisation’s main events, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, with outside investors allowed to purchase minority stakes.
Fifa said it would “invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments” in the proposed new company, Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).
A 25-page document prepared by investment bank JP Morgan says the organisation’s tournaments could expand to produce an estimated payout of 24m euros for each member association during the 2035-39 cycle.
The document refers to “new business initiatives” and the possibility of “attracting top talent with incentive-driven compensation”. It describes the World Cup as the “most widely viewed” sporting event, while saying Fifa is “under-monetised”.
The document contains no mention of the women’s game.
If the plan is approved, Fifa says Thrive Eternal is expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE. Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Fifa said on Friday that it would continue with the proposal, while insisting that “nobody is selling football”. It claimed the consultation process had been “disrupted by incorrect media reports” and said the project would not come at the cost of “either the spirit or the governance of Fifa or football itself”.
Confederations divided over the proposal
Uefa voted on Thursday to boycott World Cups if the plan proceeded. Later that day, Concacaf, which hosted this year’s World Cup, also rejected Infantino’s proposals.
Uefa said Fifa was using football “to enrich themselves and their friends”.
“The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product,” Uefa said.
“It is one of football’s greatest sporting legacies. 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.”
Conmebol, the governing body for football in South America, has not yet made a public statement on the proposals. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) have said they will discuss the plan in August.
Although the AFC has rejected the proposal, it has not threatened to boycott Fifa competitions. Its member associations are therefore not required to vote against the plan.
Why some smaller nations may support Infantino
Many countries depend on Fifa funding for essential football infrastructure, in contrast to Uefa’s members, which include some of the wealthiest football nations in the world.
Rogers Byamukama of the Ugandan Football Federation said any route to securing additional resources for countries such as Uganda should be considered.
“First and foremost, you need to understand that football is a very expensive venture, especially on the African continent where the resources are not easy to come by,” he told Newsday on BBC World Service.
“For instance in Uganda, the number of infrastructure projects that have been funded by Fifa from the resources generated by Fifa, especially at the World Cup, both from ticket sales as well as sponsors.
“On top of that, there are many grassroots programmes that have been funded by Fifa, including schools for football.
“From my perspective, any avenue that brings in more resources is good because those resources would be distributed and given to federations, especially on the African continent and that would inspire growth.”
Byamukama accepted that Uefa was entitled to oppose the plan, but said European associations were less dependent on Fifa funding than many other federations, particularly in countries where Infantino remains popular.
Through the first two cycles of Fifa’s development programme, Fifa Forward, $2.8bn (£2.08bn) was made available to the 211 member associations up to 2022.
The Fifa Forward 3.0 programme, covering 2023 to 2026, increased funding by 30%. Fifa has provided an additional $5m (£3.7m) for every member association, as well as $60m (£44.48m) for each confederation to spend on its own projects.
Fifa has also expanded the men’s World Cup from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 tournament and is seeking an independent agency to assess the possibility of a 64-team World Cup in 2030.
Documents seen by BBC Sport say Fifa will receive proposals from agencies by 7 August, with a decision expected on 14 August. The analysis is scheduled to be delivered on 11 September.
