FIFA executive Kevin Lamour dismissed weeks after attacking Infantino plan

Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer, has been dismissed by football’s world governing body less than three weeks after publicly criticising Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to sell a stake in the organisation’s competitions to private investors.

A FIFA spokesperson confirmed in a statement that “the employment relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour in his capacity as chief operating officer ended on 17 August 2026”.

The spokesperson added: “FIFA thanks Kevin for his service over the past two years and wishes him all the best for the future.”

FIFA staff were informed of the decision in an email sent on Monday evening by secretary general Mathias Grafstrom. He told employees that the organisation and Lamour had “agreed to part ways”.

Lamour had launched a strong public criticism of Infantino’s controversial FIFA Forward plans last month, describing the project as a “one-man project”.

He said: “The time has now come for football’s political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”

Lamour also claimed FIFA’s own management had been “misled” about the project, which has since been abandoned.

“Our task – the task of hundreds of passionate, dedicated and idealistic FIFA employees – is to serve football,” he said.

“The president should bring people together, unite them and inspire them. Today, we are witnessing the opposite.”

Lamour acknowledged that he had a duty of loyalty to his employer, but said he also had an obligation to uphold “certain values” and support his colleagues.

“If that means I lose my job, so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I will sleep soundly tonight,” he added.

Lamour joined FIFA in November 2024 after previously serving as UEFA’s deputy secretary general. He was two levels below Infantino in FIFA’s administrative structure.

Earlier this month, Infantino received backing from senior executives at a meeting in Morocco. However, BBC Sport understands Lamour was not invited to attend.

Infantino has faced growing pressure over his proposal to establish a new company, FFE, to manage the commercial and ticketing rights for all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

The FFE project was halted after widespread criticism of a plan to sell 21% of the company to private investment firms.

UEFA, Concacaf – the organisation responsible for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean – and the Asian Football Confederation publicly opposed the proposal. UEFA also threatened to boycott the World Cup if the plan went ahead.

Lamour was among those to criticise Infantino, while one of the FIFA president’s senior advisers, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned.

Following the collapse of the proposal, UEFA and Concacaf withdrew their support for Infantino’s bid to secure a fourth term as FIFA president at next March’s FIFA Congress.

Several Concacaf members, including Mexico, broke ranks with their confederation to back Infantino. The FIFA president has also received support from football associations in Africa, South America and Oceania.

The dispute has exposed divisions within FIFA leadership as Infantino seeks to continue in office, with the future of the organisation’s commercial structure and the handling of its competition rights at the centre of the disagreement.