Zurich (GNP): FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has been dismissed by football’s global governing body, less than three weeks after he publicly criticised a now-abandoned plan by President Gianni Infantino to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors.
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed only that the working relationship between the organisation and Lamour had ended on 17 August 2026, thanking him for two years of service and wishing him well for the future.
FIFA staff were informed of the departure in an email sent Monday evening by Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom, who told employees that the organisation and Lamour had agreed to part ways.
In a separate letter sent to members of FIFA’s Council, Grafstrom described the decision as having been made after careful consideration and with respect for Lamour both personally and professionally, adding that he wished to personally update Council members and expressed gratitude for Lamour’s daily contributions to the organisation.
The dismissal follows remarks Lamour made last month describing the controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise plan as the project of one person, and saying the time had come for football’s political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.
He said FIFA’s own administration had been deceived about the now-abandoned project, and argued that a president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them, adding that the organisation was experiencing the opposite.
Lamour acknowledged at the time that he owed a duty of loyalty to his employer but also to certain values and to supporting his colleagues, saying that if voicing those concerns cost him his job, he would understand and respect that outcome.
Lamour joined FIFA in November 2024 after previously serving as deputy general secretary at UEFA, holding a position two layers of management below Infantino. Earlier this month, Infantino received the backing of senior executives during a meeting in Morocco, though Lamour was reportedly not invited to attend.
The controversy stems from Infantino’s proposal to establish a new company, the FIFA Forward Enterprise, to manage commercial and ticketing rights across all FIFA competitions, including World Cups.
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The plan was abandoned after his proposal to sell a 21 percent stake in the company to private investment firms drew widespread criticism, with UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation publicly opposing it and UEFA threatening to boycott the World Cup if the plan proceeded. Around the same time, a senior adviser to Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned from his position.
Following the plan’s collapse, UEFA and Concacaf withdrew their support for Infantino’s bid for a fourth presidential term at the FIFA Congress next March, although several Concacaf members, including Mexico, broke from their confederation to continue backing him.
The confederations representing Africa, South America, and Oceania have maintained their support for Infantino. On Monday, the Scottish Football Association became the latest national body to withdraw its backing, following similar moves by the football associations of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. Separately, football governance charity FairSquare said it had written to FIFA demanding that Infantino not be permitted to stand for re-election.
