FIFA has confirmed that its Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour, has left the organisation, less than three weeks after he publicly criticised president Gianni Infantino over the abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other major tournaments.
In a brief statement, a FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA can confirm that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026. FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future. No further comment will be made on the matter.”
The governing body did not specify whether Lamour had been dismissed or had agreed to leave. However, multiple reports indicate that staff were informed of his departure in an internal email from secretary general Mattias Grafström, and some outlets have described the move as a sacking.
Background to the Criticism
Lamour’s exit follows his strongly worded public statement at the end of July, in which he broke ranks with Infantino over the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. The plan sought to create a commercial subsidiary valued at around $20 billion that would manage FIFA’s major competitions, including the World Cup, and sell approximately 20% of it to private investors.
Lamour described the initiative as “the project of one person” and said FIFA’s own administration had been “deceived” about how it was developed. He argued that staff, council members and confederations had been kept in the dark, calling the process a unilateral exercise of power that lacked transparency and respect.
“Our mission… 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,” Lamour said at the time. He added that the project must not go ahead and that football’s political leaders needed to ask the right questions and make the right decisions.
Importantly, Lamour acknowledged the personal risk involved. “If that means I lose my job, then so be it,” he stated. “I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”
Context of Growing Internal Dissent
Lamour’s comments came on the same day that Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino and former US Soccer president, resigned in protest at the FFE plan. Cordeiro described the proposal as “a bad deal for football” and questioned why FIFA needed outside investment when it held significant reserves and carried no debt.
The internal criticism formed part of a much wider backlash. UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation later issued a joint open letter accusing FIFA of a “fundamental breach of trust” and “deception” over the handling of the commercial plans. UEFA went further by threatening to boycott future FIFA competitions unless guarantees were given that similar schemes would not return.
Facing intense opposition, FIFA abandoned the FFE proposal. Infantino issued an apology for the way the idea had been communicated, but critics argued the problem went beyond process and into the substance of partially privatising the World Cup.
Kevin Lamour Role and Background
Kevin Lamour joined FIFA in November 2024 as Chief Operating Officer after previously serving as deputy general secretary at UEFA. He had worked with Infantino during the latter’s time at the European governing body and was regarded as one of the more senior figures in the FIFA administration, overseeing areas including finance, legal and compliance, communications, member associations, technology and operations.
His departure removes a high-ranking executive who had been willing to challenge the leadership publicly. It also adds to the sense of instability within FIFA’s senior ranks as Infantino prepares for a potential re-election campaign in 2027.
Wider Implications
Lamour’s exit deepens the fallout from the failed commercial plan and highlights the scale of internal discontent. While FIFA has sought to move on after withdrawing the FFE proposal, the combination of confederation opposition, the resignation of a close adviser, and now the departure of the Chief Operating Officer underlines the damage done to trust within the organisation.
Grafström’s letter to FIFA Council members described the decision as the result of “recent discussions” and emphasised respect for Lamour both personally and professionally. Yet the timing — so soon after the public criticism — has inevitably fuelled speculation that speaking out against the president carried professional consequences.
For now, FIFA has drawn a line under the matter with its short statement. Whether Lamour’s departure marks the end of the internal reckoning over the World Cup commercial plans, or simply another chapter in an ongoing crisis of confidence in FIFA’s leadership, remains to be seen.
What is clear is that the episode has left lasting questions about governance, transparency and the balance of power at the top of world football.
