FIFA Fires COO Kevin Lamour After He Publicly Criticized Infantino's World Cup Sell-Off Plan

FIFA terminated chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who joined the organization in November 2024 after nearly two decades as UEFA's deputy general secretary. Lamour had publicly accused Gianni Infantino of misleading staff over the now-abandoned plan to sell a 20% stake in a new World Cup commercial entity to Joshua Kushner's Thrive Eternal, calling it "the project of one person" that "must not go ahead." Speaking to the Associated Press in late July, Lamour had predicted the consequences of speaking out: "If that means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well tonight." His dismissal, roughly nine months into his FIFA tenure, deepened the leadership crisis and drew fresh criticism from federations already opposed to Infantino's re-election.