FIFA fires COO who accused Infantino of deception

FIFA confirmed on Monday that chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the governing body, the latest fallout from president Gianni Infantino's abandoned plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. The departure came on the same day Scotland's football association publicly withdrew its support for Infantino, deepening the crisis engulfing FIFA's leadership.

Lamour's Exit

"FIFA can confirm that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as FIFA's Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026," a spokesperson said. "FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future."espn+1

Lamour's dismissal followed remarks he made to the Associated Press on July 31, in which he accused Infantino of misleading staff about the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal — a plan to sell a 20% stake in a new commercial entity to private investors, reportedly valued at $4.2 billion.sports.yahoo+1

"It is the project of one person. Not only must this project not go ahead … but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions," Lamour told the AP. He added at the time: "If that means I lose my job, then so be it."nytimes+1

FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom notified staff of Lamour's departure via email, praising his contributions. Lamour had previously worked alongside Infantino at UEFA before joining FIFA in November 2024.goal+1

Scotland Joins Growing Opposition

Hours before Lamour's exit was confirmed, Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell announced that his organization would not vote for Infantino. "There's obviously been a fall-down in governance, there's been a lack of transparency, there's been a lack of engagement with member associations," Maxwell said.espn

Scotland joins England, Germany, Norway, and the three continental confederations — UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF — that have accused Infantino of "deception" in an open letter published last week demanding accountability.sports.yahoo+1

Pressure Mounts on Infantino

The open letter from the three confederation presidents was intended to give Infantino the opportunity to resign, according to the Press Association. If he refuses, opponents may seek a candidate to challenge him at next year's FIFA Congress.espn

Meanwhile, advocacy group FairSquare has written to FIFA questioning whether Infantino is even eligible to stand again, arguing that a 2027 election would constitute a fourth term in violation of FIFA statutes. Miguel Maduro, former chair of FIFA's governance committee, told the Press Association on Monday: "2027 would be his election for a fourth term of office, and it seems to me that the wording of the provision runs clearly against that."espn