FIFA sacks COO Kevin Lamour after public criticism of Infantino

FIFA has fired its chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, effective August 17, 2026, following a public confrontation in which Lamour accused president Gianni Infantino of misleading staff about plans to sell stakes in World Cup commercial rights to private equity investors. The dismissal caps a rapid fall from grace for an executive who had only joined the organization roughly nine months earlier. What Lamour actually said On July 31, Lamour issued a public statement accusing Infantino of lacking transparency over two linked proposals: the sale of future World Cup revenue streams to private equity funds, and the creation of a $20 billion commercial subsidiary that Lamour described as “a bad deal for football.” The core allegation was not just strategic disagreement. Lamour claimed Infantino had actively deceived FIFA staff about the nature and implications of those plans, which is a notably more serious charge than a policy dispute between executives. “If that means I lose my job, then so be it. I’ll sleep well tonight,” Lamour said, according to reporting on the statement. He framed his decision to speak out as an act of solidarity with colleagues, suggesting the commercialization...