Infantino’s FIFA World Cup fallout: Lamour exits after criticism of plan

What the report says

FIFA has confirmed that chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the organization, ending his working relationship with the governing body on 17 August 2026. The departure came weeks after Lamour publicly challenged FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s earlier proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights tied to the World Cup and other tournaments. Al Jazeera, citing Reuters, reported that FIFA offered no further comment beyond thanking Lamour for his service.

According to the report, Lamour had been part of FIFA’s senior leadership since November 2024 and had previously been in Infantino’s political orbit during the campaign that helped bring him to the FIFA presidency in 2016. Lamour’s criticism was unusually direct, with the report saying he accused staff of being misled and framed the plan as serving one person rather than football. Carlos Cordeiro, another senior adviser to Infantino, had also resigned in protest over the proposal.

The controversy centers on Infantino’s now-withdrawn plan to create a commercial subsidiary and sell a minority stake to private equity investors to raise funds. The backlash has continued to affect the FIFA president’s standing, with major regional confederations including UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF opposing him. The report says this has raised questions about his bid for a fourth presidential term next year, while advocacy group FairSquare has also challenged his eligibility and governance record.