Fifa's chief operating officer has been sacked weeks after criticising president Gianni Infantino's controversial plan to sell a stake in the governing body’s commercial rights business.
Football's world governing body confirmed on Monday that Kevin Lamour had departed the organisation, bringing to an abrupt end the tenure of a senior executive who had been part of Infantino’s inner circle before joining Fifa’s leadership team.
“Fifa can confirm that the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Fifa’s chief operating officer has ended on 17 August 2026,” a Fifa spokesperson said.
“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.”
Lamour joined Fifa’s senior leadership group in November 2024, having previously worked on Infantino’s successful campaign to become president in 2016.
His departure comes amid mounting opposition to Infantino’s plans for a new commercial entity that would include some of Fifa’s most lucrative assets, including rights linked to the World Cup and other major tournaments.
The proposed subsidiary, which Fifa valued at about $20bn, would seek to sell up to a 20 per cent stake to private equity investors, raising an estimated $4.2bn.
Lamour became one of the most prominent internal critics of the proposal last month, accusing Fifa staff of being “deceived” and describing the project as the work of “one person”.
“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.
His comments followed the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, also opposed the plan and described it as “a bad deal for football”. Infantino subsequently withdrew the proposal.
The controversy has nevertheless continued to damage the Swiss president’s standing, with his bid for a fourth term in office next March now facing an unprecedented challenge.
Infantino, 56, appeared to be certain of re-election after winning unopposed in 2019 and again in 2023. He has, however, faced increasing resistance from powerful confederations, with Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf calling for an independent review of his conduct.
He retains the backing of the African and South American confederations.
FairSquare, a human rights organisation focused on sport, has written to Fifa’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, urging it to rule Infantino ineligible to stand for another term.
The organisation argues that Fifa’s three-term presidential limit should apply to Infantino’s first period in office, despite the governing body’s decision in 2022 to exclude that stint from its calculation.
Infantino was elected in 2016 following Sepp Blatter’s resignation amid a corruption scandal. He was initially elected to complete an interrupted mandate before winning full four-year terms in 2019 and 2023.
“The complaint we have filed provides clear evidence that this is a clear breach of the rules and one that sets a very dangerous precedent,” FairSquare director Nicholas McGeehan told Reuters.
Fifa did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
