Burnham says Infantino ‘wrong man’ to lead FIFA
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has criticised FIFA President Gianni Infantino, describing him as “the wrong man” to lead world football after growing opposition to FIFA’s proposal to sell stakes in its competitions to private investors.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Burnham said the plan should never have been proposed, arguing that it reflected poor leadership at the governing body.
His remarks came shortly after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined UEFA and CONCACAF in opposing the proposal, saying it stood in solidarity with the other confederations and believed the plan lacked the broad support needed to move forward.
The AFC warned that the FIFA World Cup’s strength lies in the participation of all football confederations and leading nations, stressing that any proposal threatening the tournament’s unity and global nature should be reconsidered.
The criticism intensified after Carlos Cordeiro, FIFA’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned from his position, describing the proposal as harmful to the future of football and arguing it would effectively mortgage the sport’s long-term interests.
With the AFC’s opposition, Infantino now faces significant resistance ahead of any vote by FIFA’s 211 member associations. A simple majority of 106 votes is required to approve the proposal, but UEFA’s 55 members, CONCACAF’s 35 and the AFC’s 46 together account for 136 votes, enough to block the measure if their members vote along confederation lines.
In its statement, the AFC criticised FIFA for introducing a major initiative without first consulting its member associations, saying the process exposed weaknesses in the organisation’s governance and decision-making structure.
The confederation also argued that football’s governing institutions, including the FIFA Council, had been sidelined and called for an urgent review of FIFA’s consultation procedures to ensure future decisions of global importance are developed through proper engagement and oversight.
Cordeiro, who had served as Infantino’s adviser for nearly five years and previously represented FIFA on the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup, said he had no involvement in developing the proposal.
He rejected the argument that FIFA required outside investors to unlock greater commercial value, insisting the organisation’s responsibility was to safeguard football rather than maximise profits.
He also questioned the lack of transparency surrounding the proposal, asking why the deal was necessary, why it was being pursued now, who would benefit and what oversight mechanisms were in place.
Cordeiro further criticised FIFA for giving member associations only about 50 days to decide on a proposal with far-reaching consequences.
Under Infantino’s proposal, FIFA would establish a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage its major competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
The organisation plans to invite external investors to acquire minority, non-controlling stakes in the new entity.
A 25-page document prepared by investment bank JP Morgan outlines plans to expand FIFA competitions and significantly increase financial distributions to member associations between 2035 and 2039. The document argues that while the World Cup is the world’s most-watched sporting event, FIFA remains commercially underexploited. If approved, the proposed investor group would reportedly be led by Thrive Eternal, an investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner.
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