Carlos Cordeiro has resigned as a senior adviser to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, hours after the Asian Football Confederation became the third major football confederation to oppose Infantino’s proposal to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors.
Cordeiro criticised the proposal, describing it as “a bad deal for football” that would “mortgage football’s future.” His resignation adds to the growing resistance to the plan, which has already been rejected by UEFA and Concacaf.
As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, in a statement, the AFC said it “stands in solidarity” with its counterparts in Europe and North, Central America and the Caribbean, arguing that the proposal could not “realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward.”
The AFC also defended the importance of the FIFA World Cup, saying, “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.”
It warned that “any proposal that risks undermining the unity and universal character of the competition must be reconsidered.”
The opposition from the three confederations has dealt a significant blow to Infantino’s plans. The FIFA president had indicated that the proposal would require a simple majority of 106 votes from the organisation’s 211 member associations to be approved.
UEFA represents 55 member associations, Concacaf has 35, while the AFC has 46. If all their members vote in line with their confederations’ positions, 136 votes would be against the proposal, making it highly unlikely to secure the support needed for approval.
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