FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour Sacked Following Criticism of President Infantino
10 sources across 6 countries
Who reported this
- The Guardian
- BBC News
- Reuters
- Le Monde
- France 24
- Der Spiegel
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- La Nacion
- Telex
- Aftenposten
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
FIFA has ended its working relationship with Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour as of August 17, 2026. The dismissal comes less than three weeks after Lamour publicly criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino for a proposal to sell stakes in a new commercial entity, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to private investors. The plan, which would have sold approximately 20 percent of the company managing commercial and ticketing rights for World Cups and other competitions, was abandoned on August 1 after widespread opposition from UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation.
Lamour described the FFE plan as the project of one person and stated that FIFA's administration had been deceived. He asserted that football's political leaders needed to make the right decisions and noted that he would accept losing his job for his stance, stating that he would at least sleep well at night. In addition to Lamour's criticism, senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest of the proposal.
FIFA's official response was brief. A spokesperson confirmed the end of the working relationship and thanked Lamour for his two years of service. Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom informed staff via email that the organization and Lamour had agreed to part ways. However, reports indicate that Lamour was not invited to a recent meeting in Morocco where senior executives expressed their backing for Infantino.
Infantino continues to face pressure as he seeks a fourth presidential term in March. While he maintains support from the confederations of Africa, South America, and Oceania, several European bodies have withdrawn their support, including the Scottish FA, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. UEFA has previously threatened to boycott World Cup tournaments if the privatization plans had proceeded.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets framed the sacking as a reflection of Infantino's governance style and a lack of transparency.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the sequence of events and the specific institutional fallout regarding Infantino's re-election.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the broader internal power struggles and the specific list of officials involved in the leadership disputes.
Sources
- Centre-right Aftenposten: Fifa top official finished after criticizing Infantino
- Centre BBC News: Fifa official sacked after Infantino plan criticism
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Fifa fires Infantino critic Kevin Lamour
- Centre France 24: Fifa No. 3, Frenchman Kevin Lamour leaves his post after opposing Gianni Infantino
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Association confirms: Infantino critic and FIFA COO Kevin Lamour has lost his job
- Centre-right La Nacion: FIFA fired the Frenchman Kevin Lamour, the leader who had criticized Infantino
- Centre-left Le Monde: FIFA fires Frenchman Kevin Lamour, the organization's number three, who opposed Gianni Infantino
- Centre Reuters: Senior FIFA official Lamour exits after Infantino criticism - Reuters
- Centre Telex: One of FIFA's high ranking leaders was fired after openly criticizing Infantino
- Centre-left The Guardian: Fifa chief sacked after criticism of Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.