FIFA official who challenged Infantino is out weeks later

A senior FIFA official warned he was prepared to lose his job over Gianni Infantino’s controversial World Cup plan. Weeks later, he has.

He knew the risk

FIFA has ended its working relationship with Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, weeks after he publicly criticised Infantino over plans to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights to outside investors.

FIFA confirmed that Lamour’s contract ended on 17 August, thanking him for his two years with the organisation but declining to comment further.

Lamour had made clear that he knew his criticism could cost him his job.

Speaking to the Associated Press on 31 July, he said the proposal “should not go ahead” and that football’s leaders needed to “ask the right questions and make the right decisions”.

Then came the bluntest part:

And if that means I lose my job, then so be it.

Within weeks, Lamour was gone.

The straw that broke Infantino

The dispute centred on a proposal to create a FIFA subsidiary valued at around $20bn, which would control the commercial rights to the federation’s major tournaments, including the World Cup.

Under the plan, up to 20% of the subsidiary could have been sold to outside investors.

The proposal triggered opposition both inside and outside FIFA, with critics questioning whether investors from outside football should have a stake in the commercial rights to its biggest tournaments.

Lamour was not the only senior figure to object. Hours before his comments, Carlos Cordero, a chief adviser to Infantino, resigned over the proposal, calling it “a bad deal for football”.

Infantino’s FIFA headache

FIFA subsequently backed away from the plan amid the growing backlash. But the controversy has continued to reverberate inside the organisation.

Lamour’s departure now adds another remarkable twist to a proposal that was supposed to be a major financial move for FIFA.

Lamour joined FIFA as Chief Operating Officer in 2024 after spending years at UEFA, where he had served as Deputy General Secretary.

His exit also raises an obvious question about how much room senior FIFA officials have to challenge Infantino when they disagree with his plans.

Lamour effectively predicted the consequences himself. He said he would accept losing his job if that was the price of speaking out.

Weeks later, FIFA confirmed that his time at the organisation was over.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

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