Fifa President Gianni Infantino’s position has become increasingly scrutinized following his proposed sale of stakes in competitions to private investors. This move, revealed in a statement released to the Associated Press, strongly criticizes the plan to relinquish control of key events like the World Cup. In a detailed statement, Kevin Lamour, Chief Operating Officer, described the project as ‘the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.’
He added that Fifa’s own administration was ‘deceived’ about the project, and that the timing of the sale was ‘particularly concerning’ and ‘raises significant concerns.’ BBC Sport has approached Fifa for comment.
The controversial plans, which came on the same day a third confederation spoke out against the initiatives, a senior advisor to Infantino resigned, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the Swiss was ‘the wrong man’ to lead Fifa, have drawn condemnation from various stakeholders. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) earlier stated it ‘stands in solidarity’ with counterparts in Europe, North, Central America and the Caribbean.
US President Donald Trump – addressing the proposals for the first time – said he had not spoken to Infantino about the plans. The two have developed a close relationship since Trump assumed office for a second time in 2025. Lamour acknowledged he had a duty of loyalty to his employer, but also to ‘certain values’ and supporting his colleagues.
Lamour joined Fifa in November 2024, having previously served as deputy general secretary at Uefa. Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, resigned, saying the proposal was ‘a bad deal for football’ and would ‘mortgage football’s future’. Burnham later described Infantino’s proposal as ‘an outrageous suggestion’. ‘The Fifa World Cup is the pinnacle of global football and derives its strength from the participation of all Confederations and the world’s leading football nations,’ it said.
Infantino had indicated the proposals would need a straight majority to go through – meaning 106 of its 211 members needed to vote in favour for the proposal.
Uefa, which governs European football, voted to boycott World Cups if the Fifa plan proceeded. Hours later, Concacaf, which hosted this year’s World Cup, released a statement rejecting the proposals made by Infantino. Fifa released a statement early on Friday vowing to continue with the plan – but added ‘nobody is selling football’. The governing body of world football claimed the consultation process had been ‘disrupted by incorrect media reports.’ It claimed that would ‘not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of Fifa or football itself.’
Cordeiro, Infantino’s senior adviser on global strategy and governance, said he ‘unequivocally’ opposed the plans and that ‘nobody is selling football’. “First and foremost, you need to understand that football is a very expensive venture, especially on the African continent where the resources are not easy to come by,” he told Newsday on BBC World Service.
Rogers Byamukama, of the Ugandan Football Federation, argued any avenue that could lead to more resources for nations like his should be explored. “First and foremost, you need to understand that football is a very expensive venture, especially on the African continent where the resources are not easy to come by,” he argued.
Byamukama acknowledged Uefa’s right to speak out, but suggested its members were not reliant on Fifa funding like many associations in the rest of the world where Infantino remains popular. In the first two cycles of the Fifa Forward development programme, through to 2022, $2.8bn (£2.08bn) was made available for investment across the 211 member associations.
Fifa has provided a further $5m (£3.7m) for every member association, with another $60m (£44.48m) paid to each confederation for their own projects.
After expanding the men’s World Cup to 48 teams from 32 for the 2026 edition, Fifa is seeking an independent agency to assess an expansion to 64 teams for the 2030 tournament. The timeline on documents seen by BBC Sport said Fifa would receive agency proposals by 7 August, with a Fifa decision on 14 August.
What is the significance of this move? The criticism of Infantino’s plans represents a significant challenge to FIFA’s governance and raises questions about the future of football’s funding and control. It underscores the potential for increased scrutiny and could influence future decisions regarding the World Cup and other events.
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Source: Adom Sports
