Kevin Lamour has been dismissed as Fifa’s chief operating officer, less than three weeks after he publicly condemned president Gianni Infantino’s abandoned private investment plan.
A Fifa spokesperson confirmed that “the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026.”
The governing body’s statement added: “Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future.”
Fifa staff were informed of the departure by secretary general Mattias Grafstrom in an email on Monday evening, stating that Fifa and Lamour had “agreed to part ways.”
Last month, Lamour launched a stinging attack on the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise plans, describing them as “the project of one person.”
He also stated that “the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.”
Lamour revealed that Fifa’s own administration was “deceived” about the project, which has since been abandoned following widespread opposition from across world football.
He had previously warned that speaking out could cost him his position, saying: “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.”
Lamour joined Fifa in November 2024 after serving as deputy general secretary at Uefa, sitting two layers of management below Infantino within the organisation’s hierarchy.
Earlier this month, Infantino received backing from senior executives at a meeting held in Morocco, though BBC Sport was told that Lamour was not invited to attend.
In a letter to members of Fifa’s Council seen by BBC Sport, Grafstrom wrote: “Following recent discussions, Fifa and our Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour have agreed to part ways. This decision was made after careful consideration and with great respect for Kevin, both personally and professionally.”
The backdrop to Lamour’s departure is a deepening crisis surrounding Infantino’s proposal to create a new company to manage commercial and ticketing rights for all Fifa competitions, including the World Cup.
FFE was scrapped after Infantino’s plan to sell 21% of the company to private investors drew fierce opposition from Uefa, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation.
Uefa had gone as far as threatening to boycott the World Cup entirely if the proposal moved forward, underlining the depth of hostility towards the scheme.
Following the plan’s collapse, Uefa and Concacaf withdrew their support for Infantino ahead of his bid for a fourth presidential term at the Fifa Congress in March next year.
The Scottish FA became the latest body to withdraw its support for Infantino on Monday, joining England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland in opposing his re-election.
Football governance charity FairSquare has written to Fifa demanding that Infantino not be permitted to stand for re-election at all.
