Kevin Lamour Leaves FIFA Amid Controversy

Kevin Lamour is out at FIFA. The departure of the chief operating officer was confirmed late on Monday, just weeks after he publicly attacked Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights.

“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 spokesperson said. “FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future. No further comment will be made on the matter.”

No explanation. No context from Zurich. Just a clean break.

Lamour had only joined FIFA’s senior leadership in November 2024, a promotion that capped a long association with Infantino. The Frenchman was part of the inner circle that helped drive Infantino’s successful bid for the presidency in 2016, when world football was still reeling from the collapse of Sepp Blatter’s regime.

That alliance has now shattered in public.

Last month, Lamour went on the record against Infantino’s proposal to create a $20bn subsidiary and sell up to 20 percent of its stake to private equity investors, a move designed to raise around $4.2bn. He accused the organisation of having “deceived” staff over the plan and branded it “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 said.

Those words landed like a direct hit at the president’s authority. They also came on the heels of another high-profile protest.

Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino and former U.S. Soccer president, resigned in opposition to the same proposal, calling it “a bad deal for football.” Under mounting pressure, Infantino pulled the plan later that day. The retreat did not end the storm.

If anything, the backlash has widened and now threatens his grip on power.

Infantino’s fourth-term bid under siege

Infantino’s attempt to secure a fourth term as FIFA president at next March’s election, once seen as a formality, is suddenly in doubt. The political map around him has shifted.

UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF have lined up against the 56-year-old Swiss official. He still counts on strong backing from the African and South American confederations, but the old assumption of an unstoppable re-election has evaporated.

Away from the confederation politics, external watchdogs are also moving.

On Monday, human rights in sport organisation FairSquare confirmed it had written to FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), urging that Infantino be declared ineligible to run again. Their challenge cuts to the heart of FIFA’s post-Blatter reforms: term limits.

Under the rules introduced in 2016, FIFA presidents are restricted to three terms. Infantino successfully argued in 2022 that his first spell in office, from 2016 to 2019, should not count because he was completing an interrupted mandate after Blatter’s resignation. That interpretation opened the door to a potential fourth term.

FairSquare says that door should never have been opened.

“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 immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Reform promises back under the microscope

Infantino rose to power in 2016 at an Extraordinary Congress, elected as the organisation tried to restore credibility after a sprawling corruption scandal toppled Blatter and several senior figures. He was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and again in 2023, riding a wave of expanded tournaments and record revenues.

Now, the very reforms that were supposed to guard against entrenched power are being used against him.

Last week, UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF jointly called for an independent review of Infantino’s conduct. According to sources familiar with the situation, the three confederations see that demand as a potential exit ramp — a way for Infantino to step down with his dignity intact rather than risk a bruising election battle and possible disqualification.

FairSquare’s letter to the GACC was drafted with help from Miguel Maduro, the former head of FIFA’s independent Governance and Review Committee. He warned that the organisation cannot simply bend its own rules to suit its president.

“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 said in a statement. “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.”

The criticism adds to a growing dossier of concerns around Infantino’s leadership style and his interpretation of governance standards.

Last month, FairSquare saw another complaint — this time to the International Olympic Committee — rejected. That case alleged Infantino had breached the IOC’s rules on political neutrality by supporting United States President Donald Trump. Infantino, who has been an IOC member since 2020, faced no sanction.

That decision went his way. The fights now breaking out inside football’s own house may prove far harder to win.