FIFA President Gianni Infantino allegedly influenced Trump administration officials to fast-track a work permit for his undocumented Nicaraguan housekeeper after she lost her legal status, according to bombshell documents. 

The global soccer chief is alleged to have turned to politically connected contacts to secure a new work permit for Yajarlin del Socorro Fernandez after the White House revoked her legal permission to work in the United States.

Fernandez was reportedly employed by the soccer governing body to work as a housekeeper for the FIFA boss and his family in August 2024. Despite being on FIFA's payroll, she performed no services for the organization. 

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However, she reportedly continued illegally working in her role and living in the Infantino household for months after the Trump administration terminated the immigration agreement that granted her permission to stay in the United States.

Fernandez is then said to have secured a new work authorization under Kristi Noem's Department Of Homeland Security following an intervention by a Trump adviser, documents show. 

Infantino allegedly tapped Carlos Cordeiro, the former U.S. Soccer chief who served as a senior World Cup adviser to Donald Trump, to orchestrate the new work permit. 

In January, Infantino reportedly asked Cordeiro, who in May 2025 was appointed to the White House's World Cup task force alongside Noem, to use his connections at the state department to smooth the path to getting Fernandez's new work visa approved.

Cordeiro also allegedly first helped to secure Fernandez's right to work in the U.S. under Infantino's orders in 2024. Fernandez was reportedly already living and working at Infantino's residence in Miami, Florida, in early 2024. 

However, until May 2024, she had not yet filed or received an approved work permit and was therefore working at the residence illegally, per the documents. 

During a January 2024 meeting at Infantino's home, Cordeiro, at the FIFA boss's request, is said to have instructed a subordinate to submit their own Miami rental address on Fernandez's immigration filing rather than that of the Infantino family home.

While Fernandez's work visa was initially approved, it came to an abrupt end last year when the Department Of Homeland Security terminated the Humanitarian Parole Program for Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and her native Nicaragua. 

On May 30, 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to scrap the four-country scheme, which had permitted Fernandez and other Nicaraguans to secure permission to work in the States.  

Fernandez's contract with FIFA was terminated in October 2025, but she was paid a three-month salary as a bonus and remained illegally working as Infantino's housekeeper for the remainder of the year, according to the documents. 

In January 2026, Infantino allegedly asked Cordeiro, who was now working on the World Cup task force which operated directly out of Homeland Security, to leverage his new government contacts to secure Fernandez a new permit. That same month, Fernandez was granted a new work visa.

There is no suggestion that Fernandez personally is accused of any wrongdoing.  

FIFA strongly denied the allegations that it had 'employed an individual in the U.S. without the necessary authorization'. 

A FIFA spokesperson said: 'FIFA verifies the employment status of each employee and ensures compliance with U.S. immigration and employment requirements.

'Matters related to the FIFA President's personal and home life are private; however, for the avoidance of any doubt, the costs of any domestic staff are met by the FIFA President personally.

'FIFA strongly condemns the publication of personal details of staff, none of whom are accused of any wrongdoing. This is a gross invasion of their privacy.

'As FIFA stated in August, it is evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its President. FIFA welcomes legitimate scrutiny. But scrutiny is not a license to amplify false allegations. Where reporting is inaccurate or misleading FIFA will continue to challenge it directly and vigorously.'

Cordeiro did not immediately respond to The Daily Mail's requests for comment. However, he declined to address his alleged role to The New York Post, claiming he was 'not aware of the story'.

A spokesperson for the DHS said: 'On December 16, 2023, Yajarlin del Socor Fernandez, an alien from Nicaragua, was permitted entry into the United States through the now-defunct Biden-era CHNV parole program. 

'Del Socor Fernandez re-applied for lawful status in December 2025 and was approved to remain in the United States until January 2027.'

Infantino is facing more uncomfortable questions after it emerged that his office asked for 'VIP treatment' for his daughters and their pet dogs on a trip from Miami to Qatar. 

And the official faced mutiny earlier this year over his secret plans – later scrapped – to sell a stake in the World Cup to private equity investors including Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

It sparked uncertainty around Infantino's future after three confederations rejected his plan, which was then abandoned.

Among them was UEFA, which said it has lost confidence in Infantino and threatened to boycott future World Cups.

Cordeiro also recently quit FIFA over Infantino's commercial deals with Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital. 

And Infantino faced further scrutiny when it was alleged that he personally intervened to suspend USA Folarin Balogun's World Cup red card following a call with President Trump.

In a saga that sparked condemnation from across the world, the striker was originally barred from the USA's last-16 match against Belgium, only for his ban to be sensationally suspended by the FIFA disciplinary committee following a protest by the White House. 

The New York Post claimed in October that Infantino told Trump in a call on July 1 that 'he would take care of it. One call and it was done'.