Fifa COO sacked after criticising Gianni Infantino plan

Fifa chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has been sacked less than three weeks after strongly criticising president Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors.

Fifa confirmed Lamour’s departure on Monday, saying: “the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026.”

The governing body added: “Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future.”

Staff were informed by secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who said Fifa and Lamour had “agreed to part ways”.

Lamour had publicly criticised the now-abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) project last month, describing it as ‘the project of one person’ and saying Fifa’s administration had been deceived.

“Our mission - the mission of the hundreds of passionate, dedicated, and exemplary Fifa employees - is to serve football,” he said.

“A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them. Today, we are experiencing the opposite.”

Lamour also acknowledged his duty of loyalty to Fifa but said he had a responsibility to uphold “certain values” and support his colleagues.

“If that means I lose my job, then so be it,” he said. “I will understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well tonight.”

Lamour joined Fifa in November 2024 after serving as Uefa’s deputy general secretary.

Infantino has faced growing opposition over FFE, which was intended to manage commercial and ticketing rights for Fifa competitions, including the World Cup.

The proposal was abandoned after widespread criticism, including opposition from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation.

Uefa and Concacaf have since withdrawn their support for Infantino’s bid for a fourth presidential term, while the Scottish FA became the latest association to do so on Monday.