A senior FIFA adviser has resigned and a third confederation has spoken out against Gianni Infantino’s controversial plans, as pressure on the FIFA president intensified from multiple directions. Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, stepped down and said the proposal was “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future”.
FIFA employee representative Kevin Lamour issued a lengthy statement to the Associated Press, stopping short of naming Infantino directly but describing the plans as “the project of one person”. Lamour claimed FIFA’s own administration had been “deceived” about the project and called on football’s political leaders to “ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions”. “A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them,” he wrote. “Today, we are experiencing the opposite.” Lamour acknowledged that speaking out could cost him his job, adding: “If that means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”
The Asian Football Confederation became the third confederation to oppose the plans, declaring it “stands in solidarity” with counterparts in Europe and North, Central America and the Caribbean. The AFC warned that Infantino’s plan could not “realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward”, and cautioned that “any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered”.
Political figures also weighed in. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Infantino was “the wrong man” to lead FIFA, while US President Donald Trump — addressing the proposals publicly for the first time — stated he had not spoken to Infantino about the plans. BBC Sport has approached FIFA for comment.
Image credit: BBC Sport / BBC Sport
