Fifa official sacked after Infantino plan criticism

Fifa's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has been sacked by the governing body, less than three weeks after he strongly criticised its president Gianni Infantino's aborted plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors, BBC Sport has been told.

In a statement, a Fifa spokesperson would only confirm that "the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026.

"Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future."

Fifa's staff were informed of the news in an email by its secretary general Mattias Grafstrom on Monday evening, who told them the organisation and Lamour had "agreed to part ways".

Last month, Lamour described the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plans as "the project of one person", and said "the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions".

He added Fifa's own administration was "deceived" about the now abandoned project.

"Our mission - the mission of the hundreds of passionate, dedicated, and exemplary Fifa employees - is to serve football", he added.

"A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them. Today, we are experiencing the opposite."

Lamour acknowledged he had a duty of loyalty to his employer but also to "certain values" and supporting his colleagues.

"If that means I lose my job, then so be it," he added. "I will understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well tonight."

Lamour joined Fifa in November 2024, having previously served as deputy general secretary at Uefa, and was two layers of management below Infantino.

Earlier this month, Infantino received the backing of senior executives in a meeting in Morocco, but BBC Sport was told Lamour was not invited.

Lamour has been approached for comment.

In a letter sent to members of Fifa's Council, and seen by BBC Sport, Grafstrom wrote: "I would like to provide you with an important update regarding a change within the Fifa Administration.

"Following recent discussions, Fifa and our Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour have agreed to part ways. This decision was made after careful consideration and with great respect for Kevin, both personally and professionally… I felt it was important that I personally provide you this update and I would like to express my gratitude to Kevin for these contributions and for his work and commitment on behalf of Fifa on a daily basis. I wish Kevin all the best for the future."

Infantino is under increasing pressure following his proposal to create a new company - FFE - to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions, including World Cups.

FFE was aborted after Infantino's plan to sell 21% of the company to private investment companies received widespread criticism.

Uefa, Concacaf - who govern football in North and Central America and the Caribbean - and the Asian Football Confederation publicly opposed the plan, while Uefa threatened to boycott the World Cup if the plan went ahead.

Lamour criticised Infantino, while a senior adviser to Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned.

After the proposal was aborted, Uefa and Concacaf withdrew their support for Infantino when he stands for a fourth presidential term at the Fifa Congress in March next year.

Several Concacaf members including Mexico broke ranks with their confederation to offer their support for Infantino, while the confederations of Africa, South America and Oceania have backed Infantino.

On Monday the Scottish FA became the latest body to withdraw its support for Infantino, following England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Football governance charity FairSquare said it had written to Fifa demanding Infantino not be allowed to stand for re-election.