Lamour, a former employee of European governing body UEFA, had served as FIFA COO since November 2024.
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of FIFA, Kevin Lamour, has left his position after criticising the president of the association, Gianni Infantino, over his controversial plans to commercialise the World Cup.
The sacking of the third-highest-ranking member of world football’s governing body was confirmed on Monday, 17 August 2026, by the association’s media team.
His exit follows a series of explosive statements in which the Frenchman accused the governing body’s leadership of a lack of transparency after mooting the now-abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal—a project that sought to sell the body’s stakes in competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors.
Reacting to the botched move by Infantino, Lamour described the plan as “the project of one person”.
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In a statement sent to the Associated Press (AP) and published on 31 July, he said: “The time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.
”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.”
However, in the latest statement by FIFA on the saga, it disclosed that its relationship with Lamour has been severed.
”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 FIFA spokesperson said.
He added: “FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future.”
