‘I’ll sleep soundly’: FIFA director speaks out over World Cup proposal

Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s director of operations, has criticised a controversial plan to create a new entity funded by revenue from the sale of shares in the World Cup, saying it is the work of “one person” and questioning whether football’s political leaders are making the right decisions.

Lamour did not name FIFA president Gianni Infantino directly, but his comments represent a strong objection to proposals put forward by the organisation’s leadership. He said the project had been driven by a single individual and warned that the direction being taken was contrary to FIFA’s responsibility to the game.

“It is the project of one person, and it is time for football’s political leaders to ask themselves whether they are making the right decisions,” Lamour told the Associated Press.

FIFA presented the plan last week. It involves establishing a new entity, with its funding to come from the proceeds of selling shares in the World Cup. The proposal has prompted significant opposition in several parts of the football world, including Europe, where UEFA is based, North and Central America through CONCACAF, and Asia through the AFC.

The plans have also caused surprise within FIFA itself. Lamour, who is two levels below the president in the organisation’s hierarchy, chose to make his concerns public while speaking to AP.

He said FIFA’s central duty was to serve the sport and the people connected to it, rather than advance a project associated with one individual.

“Our mission is to serve football and all the passionate people around it,” Lamour said.

He added that the role of a president should be to unite and motivate people, arguing that the current situation was producing the opposite effect.

“A president must bring people together and inspire them. But that is exactly the opposite of what is happening. If that means I lose my job, then so be it. I would understand it, but at least I will sleep soundly.”

Lamour’s remarks amount to an unusually direct internal criticism of the FIFA leadership, even though he stopped short of identifying Infantino by name. His position as director of operations gives the comments particular significance, while his place two management levels below the president underlines that the disagreement comes from within the organisation.

The proposed new entity and its planned funding have therefore become the focus of opposition both beyond FIFA and among some of its own senior officials. UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC have all been identified as regions where the plan has met resistance, while Lamour has now publicly questioned the decision-making behind it.

He made clear that he was prepared to accept the consequences of speaking out, including the possibility of losing his position. His priority, he said, was to remain faithful to what he believes FIFA should represent and to be able to live with the decision to voice his objections.