FIFA CEO Kevin Lamour has been sacked by football's governing body, less than three weeks after he strongly criticized FIFA president Gianni Infantino's failed plans to sell a stake in the competition to private investors, BBC Sport has been told. In its statement, a FIFA spokesperson only confirmed that "the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026."Fifa thanked Kevin for two years of service and wish him the best in the future."

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FIFA Staff were informed of the news via email by its secretary general Mattias Grafstrom on Monday evening, who informed them that the organization and Lamour had “agreed to part ways”. Last Month, Lamour described FIFA's controversial Forward Enterprise (FFE) plans as a “one-man project”, and said “the time has now come for football's political leaders to ask the right questions and take the right decisions”. He added FIFA's own administration was "deceived" about the now-abandoned project.

Illustration. "Ourmission - the mission of hundreds of passionate, dedicated and exemplary FIFA employees - is to serve football", he added. "A president must unite people, unite them and inspire them.

Right now, we are experiencing the opposite."

Lamour acknowledged that he had an obligation to be loyal to his superiors as well as to "certain values" and support his colleagues. Illustration. "Ifit means I lose my job, so be it," he added.

"Ill understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well tonight."

Lamour joined FIFA in November 2024, having previously served as deputy secretary general at UEFA, and two layers of management under Infantino. Earlier this month, Infantino received support from senior executives at a meeting in Morocco, but BBC Sport was told that Lamour was not invited.

In a letter sent to members of the FIFA Board, and seen by BBC Sport, Grafstrom wrote: "Id like to provide you with important updates regarding changes in FIFA's Administration. "Following recent discussions, FIFA and the Chief's Operating Our Officer, Kevin Lamour has agreed to part ways. This decision was made after careful consideration and with great respect for Kevin, both personally and professionally...

I feel it is important for me personally to provide you with this update and I would like to thank Kevin for his contribution and for his work and commitment on behalf of FIFA every day. I wish Kevin all the best in his future endeavors.”

Infantino is under increasing pressure following its proposal to set up a new company - FFE - to manage the commercial rights and tickets for all FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.