FIFA confirmed on Monday that Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has left the governing body, weeks after he publicly criticized President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell a stake in ‌its tournament business, including the World Cup.

“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 FIFA spokesperson said.

“FIFA thanks Kevin ​for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future. No further ​comment will be made on the matter,” the spokesperson ⁠added.

FIFA Secretary General ⁠Mattias Grafstrom informed staff and ‌Council members of Lamour’s departure in a letter on Monday, saying the two sides had “agreed to part ways” following recent discussions, Sky News reported.

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Avneet Dhillon breaks down the open letter to FIFA from several soccer federations accusing President Gianni Infantino of deception over his proposal to sell a portion of the World Cup to private investors. (Photo credits: The Canadian Press, Reuters, Adobe Stock and Getty Images)

Lamour had publicly criticized the proposal last ⁠month, saying FIFA staff had been “deceived” over the plan and describing it as “the project of one person.”

“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,” Lamour said in a statement at the time.

• FIFA says it is scrapping plans to sell off World Cup after outcry

• Senior FIFA official resigns over Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan, another says staff ‘deceived’

Lamour’s ​comments came hours after Carlos Cordeiro, a senior adviser to Infantino, resigned in protest ⁠at the proposal, calling it “a bad deal for football.”

Lamour joined FIFA ⁠in November 2024, having previously been part of Infantino’s inner circle ⁠that ⁠campaigned for his election ​as president in 2016

Senior FIFA official resigns over Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan

FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s key adviser has resigned, amid ongoing controversy following FIFA’s plans to sell a stake in the World Cup. Infantino announced a plan to sell off part of FIFA’s commercial interests to private investors, a move that caused significant backlash in the soccer world, including the prospect of European nations boycotting future editions of the World Cup. On Friday, Infantino’s key adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned, calling the plan ‘”a bad deal for football.’