FIFA fired its chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, on Monday.
The 46-year-old’s exit from his post at world soccer’s governing body comes just weeks after he issued a public statement of defiance to the Associated Press, writing that he had been “deceived” and treated with “contempt and intimidation” regarding the attempts of FIFA president and close colleague Gianni Infantino to sell private stakes of future World Cups through the now-abandoned project, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).
FIFA verified the departure of Lamour, who had been in the role since Nov. 2024: “FIFA can confirm that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026.
“FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future. No further comment will be made on the matter.”
Lamour’s firing serves as just the latest in a long series of scandals to befall FIFA in the wake of the 2026 World Cup and Infantino’s shock proposal. Several confederations, including UEFA and Concacaf, have turned their backs on FIFA and Infantino, with the president’s campaign for re-election next March in serious jeopardy.
Kevin Lamour Issues Scathing Statement
Infantino’s plan to sell a significant minority stake in FIFA-organized events, such as World Cups and Club World Cups, was leaked to the media on July 28. Lamour held nothing back in his statement to the AP three days later, condemning Infantino’s actions and acknowledging that his scathing words might even result in his own firing.
“It is the project of one person,” Lamour wrote. “Not only must this project not go ahead … but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.
“And if that means I lose my job then so be it” the French official added. “I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”
Lamour’s statement came just hours after FIFA senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned and urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out against Infantino’s plan. The president scrapped the proposal later that night amid the massive global backlash and boycott threats from the 55 member associations of UEFA, claiming the plan had created too much division.
Although FIFA Forward Enterprise appears shuttered for now, Infantino is far from out of the woods. Just hours ago, a leaked letter showed that the president had been threatened with the end of his reign, now accused of being “ineligible” to run in the next election.
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