When Kevin Lamour sat down to write his statement, he likely knew it could cost him his job. The chief operating officer of FIFA — football's global governing body — had watched for months as President Gianni Infantino pushed a plan to sell stakes in major tournaments to private investors. On Friday, Lamour broke his silence in a way that surprised many.
"What has been announced in recent days and what has been happening behind the scenes in recent months defies belief and imagination," Lamour wrote in a statement seen by BBC Sport. "It is becoming increasingly difficult for FIFA's administration to work under these conditions and fulfil its mission." He acknowledged he might lose his position over the remarks. "If that means I lose my job, then so be it. At least I'll sleep well tonight."
Lamour joins a growing list of football leaders pushing back against Infantino's proposal, which would create a commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to run major events, including the World Cup. Outside investors would buy minority stakes in the new company.
On the same day Lamour's statement went public, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced it "stands in solidarity" with European and North American bodies that had already rejected the plan. The AFC warned it could not "realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward." Moments later, Carlos Cordeiro — Infantino's senior adviser on global strategy and governance — resigned, calling the proposal a "bad deal for football" that would "mortgage football's future."
The united opposition is significant. Under FIFA's rules, Infantino needs 106 of 211 member votes to pass the plan. But UEFA controls 55 votes, Concacaf controls 35, and the AFC controls 46. If all three confederations hold firm, 136 nations would oppose the proposal — far more than the majority needed.
Andy Burnham, Prime Minister of England, offered a blunt assessment of Infantino himself. "The idea that it could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, he is the wrong man to lead the organisation," Burnham said.
The controversy centers on a 25-page document created by investment bank JP Morgan, which outlines plans to expand FIFA tournaments and increase payouts to member associations to an estimated 24 million euros each during the 2025-2029 cycle. However, the document makes no mention of women's football.
Infantino has not yet responded publicly to the wave of criticism. With football's most powerful bodies united in opposition, his path forward appears increasingly narrow — and the voices defending the sport's integrity are only growing louder.