Prime Minister Andy Burnham has openly criticised FIFA president Gianni Infantino, calling him "the wrong man" to head the world governing body. Burnham's remarks add fresh pressure on Infantino after a senior adviser walked away in protest over a contentious plan to commercialise the sport's flagship events. When the proposal first emerged, Burnham slammed the idea of selling stakes in FIFA competitions – including the World Cup – to private investors.
He argued that the very existence of such a scheme demonstrated a fundamental mismatch between Infantino's vision and the responsibilities of leading football's global institution. "The fact that this plan could even be tabled shows, in my view, that he is the wrong man to lead the organisation," Burnham said on Friday. His condemnation follows a united front from the continent‑based confederations. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined forces with UEFA and CONCACAF in denouncing the initiative and urged FIFA to launch an "urgent review of its governance".
The AFC, which had traditionally backed Infantino, signalled a shift in tone, suggesting that the controversy could become a catalyst for deeper institutional reform. The internal dissent intensified when Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino and a former banker with lifelong ties to the game, resigned. In his statement to Sky News, Cordeiro described the privatisation plan as "a bad deal for football" and warned that it threatened the sport's long‑term future. "As a senior advisor to the FIFA president, a former banker, and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup," he declared.
He added emphatically that he had not taken part in drafting the proposal and opposed it "unequivocally". The fallout did not stop there. Kevin Lamour, FIFA's chief operating officer, later told the Associated Press that staff felt "deceived" by Infantino's lack of transparency. Lamour argued that employees deserve "better than contempt and intimidation" and characterised the World Cup privatisation as "the project of one person".
He called on football leaders worldwide to intervene before the plan proceeds unchecked. FIFA attempted to quell the backlash with a statement in the early hours of Friday, insisting that "nobody is selling football". The governing body claimed that the media had misrepresented the proposal and reaffirmed its commitment to an open, democratic consultation process.
According to the statement, the proposed entity – FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) – is intended to give every member association a chance to benefit from commercial opportunities without compromising the sport's spirit or governance. "Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain," the organisation insisted. Nevertheless, the reaction from the major confederations has been unequivocal.
UEFA, representing 55 national associations, announced that none of its teams would take part in any FIFA tournament while the plan remains on the table, demanding its complete withdrawal and binding guarantees that private ownership would never again be considered. CONCACAF, which covers 41 nations across North and Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the proposal outright. At the centre of the commercial push is Thrive Eternal, a venture founded by Joshua Kushner – the brother of Jared Kushner, former senior adviser to U.S.
President Donald Trump. Thrive Eternal has been identified as the lead investor in the proposed company that would manage World Cup rights. When asked whether he had spoken with Infantino about the scheme, Trump – who was hosting a cabinet meeting at Camp David – flatly denied any conversation, saying, "No, I never spoke to him." The investor group has so far declined to comment publicly on the details of the deal. Critics argue that handing a portion of the World Cup to private capital could drive FIFA to schedule larger, more frequent tournaments, further crowding domestic calendars and undermining the sport's traditional structures.
They fear that commercial imperatives would outweigh sporting considerations, turning the most prestigious competition into a revenue‑driven product. The AFC's statement called for a comprehensive overhaul of FIFA's decision‑making framework, emphasizing that genuine democracy goes beyond a simple vote. It should include transparent governance, timely consultation, informed deliberation, and authentic participation throughout the process. The AFC urged FIFA to ensure that proposals of global significance are developed with proper oversight by its statutory bodies.
Inside FIFA, the atmosphere appears increasingly tense. Sky Sports News commentator Kaveh Solhekol described the situation as a "catastrophic error of judgment" for Infantino, suggesting that the president could be facing an existential threat to his tenure.
Solhekol noted that a vote of no confidence could be triggered at an emergency congress if 20 percent of the 211 member associations back it. He warned that even if Infantino manages to survive the immediate crisis, he will likely confront challengers in the next presidential election scheduled for next year.
The controversy has also sparked a broader conversation about the future of football governance. Many observers see this episode as a litmus test for how the sport will balance commercial growth with the need for democratic, member‑driven decision making. The intense pushback from UEFA, CONCACAF, and now the AFC underscores a growing appetite among football's traditional power bases to protect the game's integrity from unchecked privatization. As the consultation period unfolds, FIFA will need to navigate a complex web of stakeholder expectations, media scrutiny, and political pressure.
Whether Infantino can rebuild trust with the confederations, his own staff, and the broader football community remains uncertain. The outcome will likely shape the structure of international football for years to come, determining whether the World Cup stays a publicly owned showcase of the sport or becomes partially owned by private investors seeking to maximise profit.