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FIFA's Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour, denounced this Friday that the organization's administration had been misled by the initiative to open the World Cup to private investors, "which is the project of a single person" and which in his opinion "should not move forward."
In a statement sent to the Associated Press (AP), Lamour asserts that "the project that has sparked so much controversy and debate is not a FIFA project. Much less is it a project of the FIFA administration. It is the project of a single person."
"FIFA vice presidents, FIFA Council members, confederations, associations, players, leagues, clubs, and fans were not the only ones ignored. The FIFA administration itself was also misled," he states.
He also asserts that "this lie by omission over many months and this unilateral exercise of power are not trivialities," but rather "are indicative of a lack of trust, a lack of transparency, a lack of judgment, a lack of good governance. And a serious lack of respect."
"This project not only must not move forward—for obvious reasons that it is not even necessary to list here—but the time has come for football's political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions. In relation to this project and what comes next. Everyone must take responsibility. Because it is becoming increasingly difficult for the FIFA administration to work under these conditions and fulfill its mission," he indicates.
Lamour, who was a UEFA executive and joined FIFA less than two years ago, is highly critical of its president, Gianni Infantino, in a letter in which he requested respect for the organization's workers, who, he said, "deserve better than contempt and intimidation."
"Our mission—the mission of the hundreds of passionate, dedicated, and exemplary FIFA employees—is to serve football. Not to serve the personal interests of a person who, unfortunately, believes he embodies FIFA when he is supposed to be at its service. A president should bring people together, unite them, and inspire them. Today we are experiencing the opposite," he states, after admitting that he might lose his job at FIFA, but he "will sleep soundly."
This Friday, FIFA presidential advisor Carlos Cordeiro announced his resignation following his disagreement with the organization's proposal to allow the sale of World Cup shares, something he considers "harmful" to football.
"I cannot stand idly by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup. I want to make it clear that I have had nothing to do with this proposal and that I unequivocally oppose it. It is a bad deal for FIFA member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of this sport," the executive explains in a statement released on his social media.
[Publicidad]