A top official leaves FIFA, deepening the fallout from Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan
FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has resigned following internal conflict over President Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell future World Cup profits. The proposal faced significant backlash from global football confederations, leading to its eventual withdrawal.
Why it matters
The internal turmoil at FIFA reflects deep governance issues and a crisis of confidence in leadership regarding the commercialization of the World Cup.
FIFA’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, has reportedly left his role at football’s governing body just weeks after saying its president, Gianni Infantino, had deceived staff with his World Cup sell-off plan .
Lamour, who is based in Zurich, all but invited Infantino to fire him in a statement to The Associated Press on August 1, 2026, that defended his colleagues amid intense fallout from the plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private equity funds.
Lamour wrote that staff were “deceived” by Infantino’s lack of openness in planning. He released the statement on the same day Infantino’s senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, decided to walk away and described the $20 billion commercial subsidiary plan as “a bad deal for football.”
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