Fifa has dismissed its Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour, just under three weeks after he voiced strong public opposition to President Gianni Infantino’s now-abandoned proposal to sell stakes in football competitions to private investors. The governing body confirmed that the professional relationship between the organization and Lamour concluded on August 17, 2026, with a spokesperson stating that Fifa appreciates his two years of service and wishes him well.
The departure was communicated to staff on Monday evening via an email from Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom, who described the exit as a mutual agreement to part ways. In a separate letter addressed to members of the Fifa Council, Grafstrom noted that the decision followed careful deliberation and expressed gratitude for Lamour’s daily contributions to the administration.
Lamour’s exit follows his vocal criticism last month of the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, which he characterized as the singular vision of one person. He argued that football’s political leadership needed to make better decisions and claimed that the organization’s own administration had been misled regarding the project. At the time, he stated that while he owed a duty of loyalty to his employer, he also felt a responsibility to uphold certain values, adding that if his stance cost him his job, he would accept it and sleep well.
The FFE initiative, which aimed to manage commercial and ticketing rights for major tournaments including the World Cup, was scrapped after facing intense backlash. The plan specifically involved selling 21% of the new entity to private investment firms. The proposal drew public opposition from Uefa, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation, with Uefa even threatening to boycott the World Cup had the project proceeded.
The fallout from the aborted plan has significantly impacted Infantino’s political standing. Ahead of his bid for a fourth presidential term at the Fifa Congress next March, both Uefa and Concacaf have withdrawn their support. While some individual Concacaf members, such as Mexico, have diverged from their confederation to back the president, Infantino retains support from the African, South American, and Oceanian confederations.
Pressure on the president continues to mount from various national associations. On Monday, the Scottish FA joined the football associations of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland in withdrawing their support for Infantino. Additionally, the football governance charity FairSquare has formally written to Fifa, calling for the president to be barred from standing for re-election.
Lamour, who joined Fifa in November 2024 after serving as deputy general secretary at Uefa, occupied a position two management levels below the president. His departure is not the only high-level exit linked to the controversy; a senior adviser to Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro, also resigned during the dispute.
Earlier this month, Infantino sought to consolidate his position by meeting with senior executives in Morocco. However, reports indicated that Lamour was not among those invited to the gathering. Lamour has been approached for comment regarding his departure as the organization navigates this period of internal transition. The report also notes that dedicated, and exemplary Fifa employees – is to serve football”, he added, our mission – the mission of the hundreds of passionate. The report also notes that unite them, and inspire them, a president must bring people together. The report also notes that then so be it,” he added, if that means I lose my job. The report also notes that and seen by Sport, Grafstrom wrote: “I would like to provide you with an important update regarding a change within the Fifa Administration, in a letter sent to members of Fifa’s Council. The report also notes that both personally and professionally⦠I felt it was important that I personally provide you this update and I would like to express my gratitude to Kevin for these contributions and for his work and commitment on behalf of Fifa on a daily basis, this decision was made after careful consideration and with great respect for Kevin.
