FIFA chief sacked after criticism of Gianni Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan

FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the world governing body less than three weeks after publicly criticising President Gianni Infantino’s controversial World Cup sell-off plan to private investors.

FIFA confirmed that Lamour’s working relationship with the organisation ended on Monday, August 17, 2026, but declined to comment on reports that he had been dismissed.

“FIFA can confirm that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026,” a FIFA spokesperson said.

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“FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future.”

According to reports, FIFA staff were informed of Lamour’s departure in an email from Secretary General Mattias Grafström on Monday evening.

Lamour criticised Infantino’s plan

Lamour’s departure comes after he launched a strong criticism of Infantino’s abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal last month.

The scheme sought to create a commercial subsidiary to manage and attract private investment into FIFA’s major competitions, including the World Cup and Club World Cup.

Lamour described the project as “the project of one person” and said football’s political leaders needed to “ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions”.

He also claimed FIFA’s administration had been…