RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesAndy Burnham has demanded the resignation of Fifa president Gianni Infantino following the contentious proposal to sell a minority stake in the World Cup.
Burnham inssted that Infantino is "the wrong man to lead the organisation" amid a global outcry against the controversial investment scheme.
Reports of Fifa's intention to offload a minority stake in a new entity, Fifa Forward Enterprise, to private investors first surfaced in media reports on Tuesday.
Fifa subsequently confirmed that Thrive Eternal, a company established by Joshua Kushner – brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner – had been identified as the prospective leader of the investor consortium.
Burnham has called on Infantino to resign (PA Wire)
The controversial plan has faced outright rejection from Uefa and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), alongside Concacaf, the body representing North and Central American nations. European countries have even threatened to boycott Fifa competitions unless the project is abandoned entirely.
Burnham, a devoted Everton supporter, told reporters during a visit to Sheffield: "This was an outrageous suggestion. The idea that it could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, that the Fifa is the wrong man to lead the organisation."
Burnham’s call for Infantino to resign comes after the Fifa president’s senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, announced he was quitting on Friday morning after branding the World Cup proposal a “bad deal for football”.
"Football has been central to my life and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away,” Cordeiro said. “That is why this proposal should be rejected."
It has been a difficult 24 hours for Fifa and Infantino after Uefa ’s members announced they would boycott future major tournament if Fifa’s World Cup proposal went ahead.
In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Uefa confirmed: “No Uefa national teams will participate in any Fifa competition for so long as these proposals remain alive.
“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football,” Uefa added. “The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in Fifa competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure.”
Concacaf and the AFC subsequently released their own statements rejecting Fifa’s controversial plan.
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