FIFA confirmed Monday that Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has departed the organization. Lamour joined FIFA's senior leadership in November 2024 and was part of the campaign for President Gianni Infantino's election in 2016.
Lamour had publicly criticized Infantino's proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other tournaments, stating that FIFA staff had been "deceived" and calling it "the project of one person." He also said, "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."
His comments followed the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, who protested the proposal as "a bad deal for football." Infantino later withdrew the plan, which involved creating a $20 billion subsidiary and selling up to a 20% stake to private equity investors for $4.2 billion.
The backlash to the proposal has raised questions about Infantino's bid for a fourth term as president in March. While previously seen as a likely formality, his reelection is now uncertain. European confederation UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF oppose his candidacy, though the African and South American confederations still support him.
Human rights organization FairSquare has written to FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), urging that Infantino be ruled ineligible for another term. According to FairSquare director Nicholas McGeehan, the complaint provides evidence of a "clear breach of the rules" regarding presidential term limits. FIFA presidents are limited to three terms, but Infantino successfully argued in 2022 that his first term, from 2016 to 2019, should not count towards this limit as it completed an interrupted mandate.
Infantino was initially elected in 2016 following the resignation of Sepp Blatter amid a corruption scandal. He was reelected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
UEFA, the AFC, and CONCACAF called last week for an independent review of Infantino's conduct. Sources familiar with the situation suggested these confederations view the current situation as an opportunity for Infantino to step down gracefully.
Additionally, the Scottish Football Association's Chief Executive Ian Maxwell stated that his federation will not support Infantino's reelection.
Miguel Maduro, former head of FIFA's independent Governance and Review Committee, assisted FairSquare with its complaint. He stated that FIFA cannot disregard its own rules, emphasizing that term limits were a core part of the 2016 reforms aimed at limiting presidential power. Maduro asserted that attempting to create an exception for Infantino demonstrates a resistance to term limits and a tendency to view rules as obstacles to be circumvented.
A separate complaint by FairSquare to the International Olympic Committee regarding Infantino's alleged breach of political neutrality rules due to his support for U.S. President Donald Trump was rejected last month. Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020.