Aug 17 (Reuters) – FIFA announced the departure of Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour on Monday, following his public criticism of Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights and other tournaments.
Lamour became part of FIFA’s senior leadership in November 2024. Prior to this, he was involved in the campaign for Infantino’s election as FIFA president in 2016.
“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 on Monday.
“FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best in future endeavors. No further comment will be made on the matter.”
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Last month, Lamour criticized the proposal, stating that FIFA staff were “deceived” and referred to it as “the project of one person”.
“Our mission … is to serve football, not to serve the personal interests of a person who, unfortunately, believes he embodies FIFA when he is supposed to be at its service,” Lamour commented.
Backlash Threatens Infantino’s Reelection
Lamour’s remarks followed the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, who opposed the proposal, labeling it as “a bad deal for football”. Infantino retracted the proposal later that day.
Despite the withdrawal, opposition to the plan to establish a $20 billion subsidiary and sell a 20% stake to private investors for $4.2 billion persists.
Infantino’s attempt to secure a fourth term as president in March next year, once considered certain, now faces challenges.
The European confederation UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF oppose the 56-year-old Swiss leader, though he still enjoys support from the African and South American confederations.
The human rights in sport organization, FairSquare, confirmed on Monday it had sent a letter to FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) asking for Infantino to be deemed ineligible for another term.
‘Clear Breach of Rules’
Although FIFA presidents are limited to three terms, Infantino argued in 2022 that his first term from 2016 to 2019 should not count as it was an incomplete mandate.
Infantino initially became president at an Extraordinary Congress after Sepp Blatter’s resignation amid corruption allegations. He was reelected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
“The complaint we have filed provides clear evidence that this is a clear breach of the rules and one that sets a very dangerous precedent,” FairSquare director Nicholas McGeehan told Reuters.
“The rules state clearly that three presidential terms is the maximum allowed. FIFA can’t simply circumvent this rule – which serves as a check on presidential power – by saying that his first term doesn’t count.”
FIFA did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Last week, UEFA, the AFC, and CONCACAF, which oversees football in the Caribbean, North, and Central America, called for an independent review of Infantino’s actions.
Sources familiar with the situation indicated that the three confederations saw the letter as a chance for Infantino to step down gracefully.
Scottish Federation Will Not Support Infantino
Several national associations have also expressed concerns. Scottish Football Association Chief Executive Ian Maxwell informed the BBC on Monday that his federation would not back Infantino’s reelection.
FairSquare’s letter to the GACC was drafted with input from Miguel Maduro, the former head of FIFA’s independent Governance and Review Committee, who asserted that the governing body must adhere to its own regulations.
“The principle of term limits was a fundamental aspect of the 2016 reform aimed at limiting power and the rule introduced is clear: no FIFA President can serve more than three terms of office,” Maduro stated.
“Trying to carve out an exception to such a rule for Mr Infantino reveals both a resistance to the principle of term limits and how some at FIFA conceive of rules not as rules but as obstacles to be circumvented.”
A FairSquare complaint to the International Olympic Committee regarding Infantino’s alleged breach of political neutrality rules, due to his support for U.S. President Donald Trump, was dismissed last month. Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020.
