FIFA ends COO Lamour’s role after Infantino criticism

FIFA ended Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour’s employment on August 17, 2026, after he publicly criticised President Gianni Infantino, according to details circulated internally within the organisation. The move followed weeks of visible strain at the top of football’s global governing body over governance and commercial strategy.

The dismissal came less than three weeks after Lamour described Infantino’s now-aborted FIFA Forward Enterprise project as a unilateral action that, in his view, misled FIFA’s administration. His remarks were made publicly, a rare departure from the organisation’s usual senior-leadership discipline.

Internal split over FIFA Forward Enterprise and investment plans Officials familiar with the situation linked the breakdown in relations to internal friction around proposed commercial restructuring. That included a plan to sell a 21% stake in FIFA competition rights to private investors, according to the account described in the internally shared details.

As outlined, the proposed sale became a central point of disagreement about how far FIFA should go in bringing external capital into its commercial assets. Lamour’s dissent also included an assertion that the president had not succeeded in uniting the organisation.

Earlier this month, Lamour was excluded from a high-level executive meeting in Morocco. The omission was presented as part of the sequence of events that preceded his exit.

Separation confirmed by Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom

Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom confirmed the separation in an internal communication, stating that the parties had mutually agreed to part ways. The information available did not include further details on the terms.

The timing places the departure in a politically sensitive phase for FIFA’s leadership as the organisation approaches the March 2027 presidential election. The episode has highlighted how quickly disputes over project design and decision-making processes can escalate into senior personnel changes.

Election backdrop and widening pushback among associations

According to the account provided, the failed commercial project has contributed to a broader erosion of institutional support for Infantino ahead of the March 2027 vote. Multiple national associations have formally withdrawn their backing for the incumbent, including the Scottish FA and other British governing bodies.

The dispute is also unfolding amid resistance from major confederations, including UEFA and Concacaf, over future commercial strategy and the question of leadership tenure. The turnover was described as reflecting deepening governance instability as FIFA seeks to manage competing views on direction and authority.

Key uncertainties remain, including how FIFA will proceed with any private-investor discussions tied to competition rights and how its leadership plans to rebuild consensus among national associations and confederations before March 2027.