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FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the organisation less than three weeks after publicly criticising Gianni Infantino’s abandoned commercial plan.
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Lamour described the proposal as the “project of one person” and said FIFA’s administration had been “deceived”.
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His departure comes as opposition to Infantino’s bid for a fourth term continues to grow ahead of the 2027 FIFA presidential election.
August 17, (THEWILL) — FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has been sacked by football’s world governing body, less than three weeks after publicly criticising president Gianni Infantino over a controversial commercial plan that was eventually abandoned.
FIFA confirmed on Monday that its working relationship with Lamour had ended, saying only that the organisation and its chief operating officer had “agreed to part ways”. Staff were informed of the decision by FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, who said the departure followed recent discussions and thanked Lamour for his two years of service.
The timing of Lamour’s exit is likely to attract significant attention because of his outspoken criticism of the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a proposed company that would have taken control of commercial and ticketing rights for FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
Lamour, who joined FIFA in November 2024 after previously serving as Uefa’s deputy general secretary, strongly criticised the proposal last month. He described FFE as “the project of one person” and said FIFA’s own administration had been “deceived” over the plans.
His comments went beyond criticism of the commercial proposal itself. Lamour questioned the leadership culture within FIFA and argued that the organisation’s president should unite football’s stakeholders rather than deepen divisions.
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“A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them,” he said. “Today, we are experiencing the opposite.”
Lamour also appeared to acknowledge that his comments could cost him his position, saying that if speaking out meant he lost his job, he would accept the consequences.
That prediction has now become reality, although FIFA has not publicly linked his departure to his criticism of Infantino or the abandoned FFE proposal. Lamour has been approached for comment.
The controversy surrounding FFE has already created one of the biggest political challenges of Infantino’s presidency. The proposal included plans to sell a 21% stake in the new company to private investors, triggering strong opposition from several football confederations.
UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation publicly challenged the plan, with UEFA even threatening to boycott FIFA competitions if the proposal went ahead. FIFA eventually abandoned the project following the backlash.
The fallout has since moved beyond the commercial plan and into the increasingly tense battle over Infantino’s attempt to secure a fourth term as FIFA president at the Congress in March 2027.
Uefa and Concacaf have withdrawn their support for Infantino, while several European football associations have followed their confederation’s position. The Scottish FA became the latest to announce it would not vote for Infantino, joining England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
However, Infantino still has important support. The African, South American and Oceania confederations have backed him, while several individual associations have also broken ranks with their regional bodies to support the FIFA president.
The divisions have left the outcome of the 2027 election difficult to predict. Infantino remains the only declared candidate so far, but the growing opposition means his re-election campaign is already facing an unusually difficult political environment.
Lamour’s departure adds another layer to the controversy, particularly because he was one of the most senior FIFA officials to publicly challenge the direction of the organisation.
For FIFA, the decision to part ways with its chief operating officer comes at a moment when questions over leadership, governance and trust are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Whether Lamour’s exit ends the controversy or creates even more scrutiny for Infantino could become one of the defining questions in the build-up to the 2027 election.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
