Kevin Lamour was fired as FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) on Monday. This came just weeks after he publicly criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes of the World Cup to private investors.
FIFA confirmed that their partnership with Lamour ended on 17 August 2026. They thanked him for his two years of service and wished him luck in the future.
Infantino had proposed creating a new company called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and selling a part of the World Cup to Thrive Eternal, an investment group led by American venture capitalist Joshua Kushner. However, UEFA strongly criticized this plan and even threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments. As a result, FIFA abandoned its plans to sell World Cup rights.
Lamour accused Infantino of deceiving the board and claimed the project only benefited one person.
Born in 1980 in Brest, France, Lamour started his career in football governance in 2006 when he joined Michel Platini’s campaign for UEFA presidency. He formally joined UEFA in 2007. Over nearly two decades at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, he held several executive roles and eventually became Deputy General Secretary.
During his time at UEFA, Lamour worked closely with key figures like Aleksander Ceferin (UEFA President), Theodore Theodoridis (General Secretary), and Gianni Infantino, who later became FIFA president. Infantino was elected UEFA General Secretary in 2009 and held the role until 2016 when he moved to FIFA.
Lamour joined FIFA as COO on November 1, 2024. In this role, he oversaw finance, legal, communications, technology, and operations for FIFA. He expressed gratitude to Infantino and Mattias Grafström, FIFA’s Secretary General, upon his appointment.
Lamour’s departure marks a significant shift in his career, from being a close ally of Infantino at UEFA to becoming one of his most prominent critics at FIFA.