Senior FIFA executive says staff were deceived over Infantino's World Cup sell-off plan

FIFA's chief operating officer said its staff were deceived by their president Gianni Infantino's World Cup sell-off plan and suggested on Friday the project must not go ahead. Kevin Lamour, Zurich-based, longtime Infantino colleague at FIFA and UEFA, defended staff: they were 'deceived' and 'deserve better than contempt and intimidation,' calling it 'the project of one person.' He said: 'Not only must this project not go ahead' - adding football's political leaders must now ask the right questions and make the right decisions. He did not resign the post he has held since 2024 but said he had a duty to colleagues: 'And if that means I lose my job then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well tonight.' Cordeiro, former Goldman Sachs banker who represented FIFA on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said he was excluded from the talks: 'Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally.' He declared: 'I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup.' He called the $20 billion commercial subsidiary 'a bad deal for football' and said 'selling a permanent stake in football's most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion makes little sense' - 'mortgaging football's future without any compelling justification.' He noted 'FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources,' adding 'The organization sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt,' with $15 billion in revenue over the last four years tied to the men's World Cup just ended. He praised colleagues as 'dedicated, principled people who care deeply about the game' and hoped 'they, too, will speak up,' 'because decisions of this magnitude should be made in the interests of football, not those who stand to profit from it.' He also said: 'That is why this proposal should be rejected.' The plan: Infantino proposed spinning off FIFA's commercial businesses - including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women - into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors. The 'anchor investor' is Joshua Kushner, younger brother of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. FIFA member federations were each offered $20 million with a Sept. 19 deadline. Infantino has been FIFA president for more than 10 years and seemed likely to be re-elected unopposed next March; FIFA set a Nov. 18 deadline for challengers.