‘Infantino wrong man to lead FIFA’: UK PM slams World Cup stake-sale plan

Britain's prime minister Andy Burnham chimed in on the ongoing row over FIFA’s plan to sell off a stake in the World Cup, calling its president Gianni Infantino "the wrong man" to lead world football on Friday.

Speaking during a visit to a community centre in Sheffield, the UK prime minister said: “My view is strengthening – this was an outrageous suggestion. The idea that it could even be brought forward, in my view, shows that the FIFA president is the wrong man to lead the organisation.”

The intervention makes him the first leader of a major country to publicly call for Infantino to step down.

The comments came as opposition to FIFA's proposal continued to grow across football and political circles.

Burnham later expressed surprise that FIFA was pressing ahead despite fierce opposition from UEFA and other member bodies, responding: “Oh wow. Have they actually done that? Oh wow.”

FIFA plans to create a commercial subsidiary holding World Cup rights and sell a stake to investors for $4.2 billion.

The proposal has sparked calls for an urgent governance review and raised the prospect of a boycott by all 55 UEFA member associations.

Pressure also mounted after senior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned on Thursday.

Cordeiro said he could not support the proposal, calling it “a bad deal for football”, and said he had no role in developing the plan.

The former US Soccer president had served as a senior adviser to Infantino since 2021 and also advised the White House taskforce for this summer's World Cup.