FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has left the organisation, weeks after publicly criticising President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other tournaments.
FIFA confirmed Lamour’s departure on Monday, without providing details on the reasons for his exit.
Lamour joined the senior leadership group of football’s global governing body in November 2024, having previously been part of Infantino’s inner circle that campaigned for his election as FIFA president in 2016.
His departure comes amid growing opposition to Infantino’s leadership following his controversial proposal to create a $20 billion subsidiary and sell up to a 20% stake to private equity investors to raise about $4.2 billion.
Lamour publicly criticised the proposal last month, saying FIFA staff had been “deceived” over the plan and describing it as “the project of one person”.
“Our mission … is to serve football, not to serve the personal interests of a person who, unfortunately, believes he embodies FIFA when he is supposed to be at its service,” Lamour said.
His comments came shortly after Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, resigned in protest over the proposal, describing it as “a bad deal for football”.
Infantino withdrew the proposal later that day, but the backlash against the plan has continued.
Infantino’s Reelection Under Pressure
Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as FIFA president in March next year, once widely regarded as a formality, now faces growing uncertainty.
European football’s governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF have opposed aspects of Infantino’s approach, while he continues to retain the backing of the African and South American confederations.
Last week, UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF called for an independent review of Infantino’s conduct. Sources familiar with the situation said the three confederations viewed the letter as an opportunity for Infantino to step down while preserving his dignity.
The Scottish Football Association has also indicated that it will not support Infantino’s reelection. Its chief executive, Ian Maxwell, told the BBC on Monday that the federation would oppose his bid for another term.
Meanwhile, human rights organisation FairSquare confirmed it had written to FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), urging it to rule Infantino ineligible to seek another term.
FairSquare Challenges Fourth-Term Bid
FIFA presidents are limited to three terms, but Infantino successfully argued in 2022 that his first stint in office, from 2016 to 2019, should not count because he had completed an interrupted mandate.
Infantino was initially elected at an Extraordinary Congress following the resignation of Sepp Blatter amid a corruption scandal. He was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and again in 2023.
FairSquare director Nicholas McGeehan said the organisation’s complaint showed that Infantino’s attempt to seek a fourth term violated FIFA’s rules.
“The complaint we have filed provides clear evidence that this is a clear breach of the rules and one that sets a very dangerous precedent,” McGeehan told Reuters.
“The rules state clearly that three presidential terms is the maximum allowed. FIFA can’t simply circumvent this rule – which serves as a check on presidential power – by saying that his first term doesn’t count.”
FIFA did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
FairSquare’s complaint was drafted with the assistance of Miguel Maduro, the former head of FIFA’s independent Governance and Review Committee. He said FIFA could not disregard its own rules.
“The principle of term limits was a fundamental aspect of the 2016 reform aimed at limiting power and the rule introduced is clear: no FIFA President can serve more than three terms of office,” Maduro said in a statement.
“Trying to carve out an exception to such a rule for Mr Infantino reveals both a resistance to the principle of term limits and how some at FIFA conceive of rules not as rules but as obstacles to be circumvented.”
The latest challenge follows a separate complaint by FairSquare to the International Olympic Committee over Infantino’s alleged breach of political neutrality rules because of his support for US President Donald Trump. The IOC rejected that complaint last month.
Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020, and remains under increasing scrutiny as opposition to his leadership grows ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election.
Boluwatife Enome
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