FIFA's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the organisation after publicly condemning president Gianni Infantino's controversial proposal to sell stakes in World Cup profits to private investors, world football's governing body confirmed on Monday. A FIFA spokesperson confirmed to AFP that "the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as FIFA's chief operating officer has ended on August 17, 2026," adding that the organisation thanked him for his two years of service. Lamour, a French national previously employed by UEFA — European football's governing body — had served as FIFA's third highest-ranking official since November 2024.

In a statement sent to the Associated Press on July 31, Lamour described Infantino's plan to establish a commercial subsidiary worth an estimated $20 billion — which would have sold stakes in future World Cup revenues to private equity funds — as "the project of one person." He accused Infantino of a lack of openness and wrote that staff had been "deceived" in the planning process. Presciently, he added: "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." Lamour's departure came on the same day that Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser, also walked away, having described the plan as "a bad deal for football."

The controversy has triggered the most serious challenge to Infantino's leadership since he was first elected in 2016. Infantino withdrew the proposal following a fierce backlash that included UEFA threatening to boycott all FIFA games and events. Secretary general Mattias Grafstrom and former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who serves as FIFA's chief of global football development, both welcomed the decision to scrap the plan, with Wenger calling it "absolutely necessary." The heads of UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF — which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean — issued a joint open letter declaring that "football belongs to no individual" and calling the plan a "fundamental breach of trust."

With Infantino seeking re-election as FIFA president, the episode has fundamentally altered the political landscape heading into next year's congress, to be held in Morocco. Some national federations have withdrawn their support, though the heads of six Arab football federations last week pledged their "full support" and "confidence" in him. FIFA has set a November 18, 2026 deadline for potential challengers to declare their candidacy. Until the fallout from what has been called the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, Infantino had appeared certain to be re-elected unopposed.