Senior FIFA executive says staff were deceived over Infantino's World Cup sell-off plan
Summary
FIFA's chief operating officer said staff were misled by President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors and suggested the plan should be stopped. A senior adviser also resigned in protest, calling the deal bad for football and saying he had no part in the discussions.Key Facts
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino proposed creating a $20 billion company to handle World Cup commercial rights and sell 20% to private investors.
- The main investor named is Joshua Kushner, connected to U.S. politics as the brother of Jared Kushner.
- Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer, said staff were kept in the dark about the plan and deserve better transparency.
- Lamour criticized the plan as the idea of one person and urged football leaders to reconsider it.
- Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser and former U.S. Soccer president, resigned and opposed the sale, calling it a bad deal without justification.
- Cordeiro highlighted that FIFA has large financial reserves and recent revenue of $15 billion from World Cups, making the sale unnecessary.
- FIFA offered $20 million to some soccer federations as part of this plan, with a deadline of September 19.
- Infantino has been FIFA president for over 10 years and is expected to be re-elected next March.
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