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Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has accused under-pressure FIFA president Gianni Infantino of hitting the “self-destruct button” after plans to sell a minority stake in FIFA tournaments collapsed.

Infantino is currently battling to remain in office after facing major backlash over proposals to sell a minority share in FIFA competitions to private investors.

UEFA has become his main opposition, while the Football Association has withdrawn its support for Infantino.

“This is a problem of FIFA’s own making,” Masters told BBC Sport.

“This is a self-inflicted wound. The organisation has pressed the self-destruct button, and the consequences of that flow now into the solutions that need to be found.

Masters believes Infantino “pressed the self-destruct button”.

“I don’t think FIFA should ever be considering selling off a stake in the World Cup.

“They’re a not-for-profit organisation. They should really be holding that competition in trust for the future of football.

“I think it’s a bad idea, and the FA have taken the right position with regard to Gianni [Infantino].”

Speaking about a possible challenger to Infantino’s re-election next year, Masters added: “I think an emerging unity candidate should have on his or her agenda reform of FIFA, and perhaps even reform of the president’s role and how it interacts with those things.”

Infantino came under further criticism earlier on Tuesday after the exit of a senior FIFA official who had spoken out against him.

Kevin Lamour left his role as FIFA’s chief operating officer on Monday, only weeks after saying FIFA staff had been “deceived” by Infantino’s plans to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup.

Lamour criticised those proposals and said FIFA staff “deserve better than contempt and intimidation” after being kept in the dark. He also said he would be able to “sleep well tonight” after speaking out.

Lise Klaveness, president of the Football Association of Norway and a long-time critic of FIFA under Infantino’s leadership, told the Associated Press that she believed Lamour had been dismissed and criticised those within the FIFA administration for following Infantino’s orders.

“Now he is thrown out and we are supposed to move on. It’s unacceptable, it’s management by fear,” Klaveness told the Associated Press. “Now we also have to call upon FIFA leadership and the administration to not submit to orders you know are not in the interests of football.”