Kevin Lamour leaves FIFA after criticising Infantino

Kevin Lamour has left his role as FIFA chief operating officer, FIFA confirmed Monday, after he publicly criticised Gianni Infantino’s abandoned plan to sell stakes in competitions including the World Cup to private investors.

“FIFA can confirm that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as FIFA's chief operating officer has ended on August 17, 2026,” a FIFA spokesperson told AFP. FIFA thanked Lamour for his two years of service and wished him “the best of luck for the future.”

Lamour, a former UEFA employee, had served as FIFA COO since November 2024 and was described as the third highest-ranking official at world football’s governing body.

He was one of the highest-ranking FIFA figures to criticise Infantino’s private investor proposal, calling it “the project of one person” in a statement sent to the Associated Press and published on July 31.

“The time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions,” Lamour said in that statement. “If that means I lose my job, then so be it.”

FIFA later dropped the proposal. Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and chief of global football development Arsene Wenger both welcomed that decision, with Wenger saying it was “absolutely necessary” to scrap the plan.

UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation also released a joint letter earlier this month saying “football belongs to no individual.”