UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign, condemning the organization’s proposal to sell a stake in the FIFA World Cup as “outrageous.”
Speaking during a visit to Sheffield on Friday, Burnham said the proposal demonstrated that Infantino was “the wrong man to lead the organisation.”
His remarks make Burnham the first leader of a major nation to publicly call for Infantino’s resignation over the controversial plan.
FIFA’s proposal would create an investment vehicle holding commercial rights linked to the World Cup and sell a portion of those rights to private investors in a deal reportedly valued at US$4.2 billion (£3.1 billion).
The plan has sparked widespread opposition from football authorities, with UEFA and other member associations warning of potential consequences, including discussions around a possible boycott. The controversy has also intensified calls for a review of FIFA’s governance.
Adding to the pressure, Carlos Cordeiro, one of Infantino’s senior advisers, resigned on Thursday in protest, calling the proposal “a bad deal for football.”
In his resignation statement, Cordeiro said he had no involvement in the initiative and opposed it entirely, arguing it would harm FIFA’s member associations, the sport and the long-term future of the World Cup.
Burnham, a lifelong football supporter, said the World Cup should never be treated as a commercial asset.
“Football does not belong to investors. It belongs to the people who fill the stands,” he said, adding that the World Cup is “the greatest competition in world sport” and “was never anyone’s to sell.”
Infantino has so far maintained support for the proposal despite the growing backlash from football stakeholders and political leaders.
