FIFA President Gianni Infantino allegedly leaned on politically connected contacts, including a former Trump administration adviser, to expedite a work permit for his housekeeper after her legal status in the United States was revoked, according to documents reviewed by the Daily Mail. Yajarlin del Socorro Fernandez, 33, who was hired by FIFA to work as a housekeeper for Infantino and his family, reportedly lost her legal permission to work in the U.S. after the termination of an immigration agreement that covered citizens of Nicaragua.
Fernandez was reportedly working for Infantino in Miami, Florida, in early 2024, but had not yet received an approved work permit. During a January 2024 meeting at Infantino's home, Carlos Cordeiro, the former US Soccer chief and a senior World Cup adviser to Donald Trump, allegedly instructed a subordinate to use a rental address on Fernandez's immigration filing instead of Infantino's residence. Cordeiro had previously helped secure Fernandez's right to work in the U.S. under Infantino's direction in 2024.
The work permit initially granted to Fernandez ended when the Department of Homeland Security terminated the Humanitarian Parole Program for Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua in May 2025, a move upheld by the Supreme Court. Despite her contract with FIFA ending in October 2025, Fernandez was allegedly paid a three-month bonus and continued working illegally as Infantino's housekeeper through the end of the year.
In January 2026, with Cordeiro now appointed to the White House's World Cup task force, Infantino reportedly asked him to leverage his new government contacts to obtain a new permit for Fernandez. Later that month, she was granted a new work visa and rehired by FIFA on a $40,000-per-year contract.
This report emerges amid a period of scrutiny for Infantino, who is seeking re-election in 2027. He previously faced backlash over plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private equity investors, including Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner. Cordeiro also recently resigned from FIFA over Infantino's commercial dealings with Thrive Capital, the investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner. Additionally, Infantino was alleged to have intervened personally to suspend a World Cup red card for player Folarin Balogun following a call with then-President Trump.