FIFA has ended the employment of its Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour, less than three weeks after he publicly criticised President Gianni Infantino over an abandoned plan to sell a stake in FIFA’s commercial business to private investors.
FIFA confirmed on Monday that its working relationship with Lamour ended on 17 August 2026, saying both parties had “agreed to part ways.” Lamour had joined FIFA in November 2024 after previously serving as deputy general secretary at UEFA.
The decision comes after Lamour strongly criticised the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), describing it as “the project of one person” and claiming FIFA’s administration had been “deceived” about the initiative. He also questioned Infantino’s leadership and said he was prepared to lose his job for speaking out.
The FFE proposal would have created a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The plan was abandoned after Infantino’s proposal to sell 21% of the company to private investment firms faced strong opposition from major football confederations.
UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation opposed the proposal, with UEFA even threatening to boycott the World Cup if it proceeded. Infantino also lost the support of UEFA and Concacaf for his bid to secure a fourth term as FIFA president.
The latest development adds to the growing pressure surrounding Infantino ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election. The Scottish FA also withdrew its support for Infantino on Monday, following England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Meanwhile, football governance organisation FairSquare has called on FIFA to prevent Infantino from standing for re-election.
