Three weeks after publicly questioning the direction of FIFA's leadership, chief operating officer Kevin Lamour was dismissed from the organization he had joined less than a year prior. His criticism of president Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to sell stakes in FIFA's competitions to private investors — a scheme that had already drawn boycott threats from major confederations — placed him among the rare voices inside football's governing body willing to name what he saw. The timing of his departure, following a gathering of senior executives from which he was excluded, raises the oldest que
Fifa sacks COO Lamour weeks after Infantino criticism
A president must bring people together. Today, we are experiencing the opposite.
Mark
Why would FIFA fire someone just weeks after he criticized the president? That seems reckless—it draws attention to the criticism rather than burying it.
Mimi
You'd think so. But maybe the point wasn't to hide anything. Maybe it was to send a message: this is what happens when you speak up, even if you're right about the problem.
Mark
But Lamour was only there nine months. He had just started. Why would he risk his job so quickly?
Mimi
Because he saw something he couldn't unsee. He came from UEFA, where things work differently. He watched Infantino push a scheme that deceived his own staff, and he couldn't stay quiet about it. He even said beforehand that he understood he might lose his job for it.
Mark
So he walked into it with his eyes open?
Mimi
Not exactly. He understood the risk intellectually. But understanding and experiencing are different things. He probably thought that being right, and being honest about it, would matter more than it did.
Mark
What does this tell us about FIFA's culture?
Mimi
That dissent is dangerous there. That loyalty to the president matters more than loyalty to the organization's stated mission. Lamour said FIFA's mission was to serve football. But when he tried to serve that mission by questioning a bad idea, he was gone.
Mark
And Infantino? Does this help or hurt him?
Mimi
It hurts him. Every person who sees Lamour fired for speaking truth will wonder what else is being hidden. The FFE was already dead. Firing Lamour just keeps the story alive.
Le Pouls
- Infantino's FFE privatization scheme — which would have sold 21% of FIFA's competition rights to private investors — collapsed under a wave of opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation, all of whom threatened World Cup boycotts.
- Lamour, a nine-month insider who had come from UEFA, broke ranks publicly, calling the FFE 'the project of one person' and accusing FIFA's own administration of being deceived — then acknowledged the words might cost him his job.
- Three weeks later, they did: FIFA's secretary general announced Lamour and the organization had 'agreed to part ways,' with no explanation offered for the timing.
- The firing landed just days after Infantino convened a loyalty-gathering of senior executives in Morocco — a meeting to which Lamour was not invited.
- With UEFA, Concacaf, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and now Scotland withdrawing support for his 2027 re-election bid, Infantino's grip on FIFA's political coalition is visibly loosening.
- A football governance charity has formally demanded Infantino be barred from standing for re-election, signaling that the FFE fallout is far from contained.
Three weeks after publicly questioning the direction of FIFA's leadership, chief operating officer Kevin Lamour was dismissed from the organization he had joined less than a year prior. His criticism of president Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to sell stakes in FIFA's competitions to private investors — a scheme that had already drawn boycott threats from major confederations — placed him among the rare voices inside football's governing body willing to name what he saw. The timing of his departure, following a gathering of senior executives from which he was excluded, raises the oldest question in institutional life: what becomes of those who speak plainly about power?
Kevin Lamour joined FIFA in November 2024, arriving from UEFA where he had served as deputy general secretary. He lasted less than a year. On August 17, 2026, FIFA announced he and the organization had parted ways — three weeks after he had publicly criticized president Gianni Infantino's failed plan to commercialize FIFA's competition rights.
The plan, known as the FIFA Forward Enterprise, proposed creating a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights for all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, and selling 21 percent of it to private investment firms. The backlash was swift and severe. UEFA threatened a World Cup boycott. Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation opposed it publicly. Infantino withdrew the proposal.
But Lamour had already spoken. He called the FFE 'the project of one person,' said FIFA's own administration had been 'deceived,' and questioned whether the president was dividing rather than uniting the sport. 'A president must bring people together,' he said. 'Today, we are experiencing the opposite.' He acknowledged the words might cost him his position. They did.
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom informed staff by email that Lamour had departed 'after careful consideration and with great respect.' No connection to his public criticism was acknowledged. The timing, however, was difficult to ignore — particularly given that Infantino had, just days earlier, gathered senior executives in Morocco to secure their backing. Lamour was not at that meeting.
The episode arrives at a fragile moment for Infantino, who is seeking a fourth presidential term in March 2027. UEFA and Concacaf have withdrawn their endorsements. England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Scotland have done the same. A governance charity has called for him to be barred from standing altogether. Africa, South America, and Oceania remain in his corner, and some individual Concacaf members have broken ranks to support him — but the political ground has shifted.
What Lamour's dismissal means for those still inside FIFA is unspoken but legible. He understood the organization well enough to describe what he saw. He learned, in the end, that those were not the same thing.
Kevin Lamour lasted less than two years at FIFA before the organization decided it no longer needed his services. The chief operating officer was fired on August 17, 2026—just three weeks after he had publicly criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino's failed scheme to sell off stakes in the organization's competitions to private investors. Lamour had joined FIFA in November 2024 from UEFA, where he served as deputy general secretary. He was two management layers below Infantino, positioned to see how the organization actually functioned. What he saw, apparently, troubled him enough to say so out loud.
The controversy centered on something called the FIFA Forward Enterprise, or FFE. Infantino had proposed creating a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights for all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup. The plan included selling 21 percent of this company to private investment firms. The idea generated immediate and forceful opposition. UEFA, which governs European football, said it would boycott the World Cup if the plan proceeded. Concacaf, which oversees North and Central American football, opposed it publicly. The Asian Football Confederation did the same. The pressure worked. Infantino abandoned the FFE proposal.
But Lamour had already spoken. In statements made last month, he called the FFE "the project of one person"—a barely veiled reference to Infantino himself. He said FIFA's own administration had been "deceived" about what was happening. He questioned whether a president's role was to divide rather than unite. "A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them," Lamour said. "Today, we are experiencing the opposite." He acknowledged that speaking out might cost him his job. "If that means I lose my job, then so be it," he added. "I will understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well tonight."
He did not sleep well for long. FIFA's secretary general Mattias Grafstrom sent an email to staff on Monday evening announcing that Lamour and FIFA had "agreed to part ways." The official statement was spare: the working relationship had ended, FIFA thanked Lamour for two years of service, and wished him well. A letter to FIFA's Council members, seen by BBC Sport, offered slightly more warmth but no explanation. Grafstrom wrote that the decision had been made "after careful consideration and with great respect for Kevin, both personally and professionally." No one at FIFA has explained what changed between Lamour's public criticism and his dismissal, or whether the two events were connected. The timing suggests they were.
Lamour's firing came just days after Infantino had gathered senior FIFA executives in Morocco and secured their backing. Lamour was not invited to that meeting. The broader context matters here: Infantino is facing a re-election campaign for a fourth presidential term, scheduled for March 2027. The FFE debacle has fractured his support. UEFA and Concacaf, two of FIFA's six continental confederations, have withdrawn their endorsements. England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland have all done the same. On Monday, the Scottish FA became the latest to pull back. Africa, South America, and Oceania have stuck with him, and several individual Concacaf members, including Mexico, have broken ranks to offer their support. But the momentum has shifted. A football governance charity called FairSquare has written to FIFA demanding that Infantino be barred from running for re-election altogether.
What Lamour's dismissal signals is unclear. It could be read as a warning to others inside FIFA who might consider speaking publicly about the organization's leadership. It could be a simple personnel decision, unrelated to his criticism. FIFA's official statements leave no room for interpretation either way. But the sequence of events—criticism, then firing, then a show of executive support for Infantino—tells its own story. Lamour, who had only just begun to understand how FIFA worked, found that understanding the organization and speaking about what he saw were two different things.
Citations marquantes
The project of one person. The time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.— Kevin Lamour, on the FFE proposal
If that means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well tonight.— Kevin Lamour, anticipating the consequences of his criticism
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Politics & Governance