FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour Departs Following Dispute Over Gianni Infantino's World Cup Stake Plan

FIFA has confirmed that chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the organization, just weeks after he publicly criticized Gianni Infantino’s controversial proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other tournaments.

“FIFA can confirm that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026,” a FIFA spokesperson stated, thanking Kevin for his two years of service without offering further comment.

Lamour joined the senior leadership group of football’s global governing body in November 2024, having previously supported Gianni Infantino’s 2016 election campaign. Last month, Lamour publicly condemned the proposal, stating that FIFA staff had been deceived and describing the initiative as the personal project of one person rather than a measure to serve football.

The departure follows the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, who also protested the plan and called it a bad deal for football. Although Gianni Infantino withdrew the proposal to create a $20bn subsidiary and sell up to a 20 percent stake to private equity investors, the resulting backlash has continued to intensify.

Infantino’s bid for re-election for a fourth term as president in March next year now faces strong opposition from the European confederation UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF. Meanwhile, the human rights in sport organization FairSquare confirmed it has urged FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) to rule Infantino ineligible to seek another term, arguing that his previous stint from 2016 to 2019 should count toward the three-term presidential limit.