FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour departs following public criticism of President Gianni Infantino

Lamour, who was previously part of the inner circle that campaigned for Gianni Infantino’s initial election as FIFA president in 2016, had become a vocal critic of the leadership in recent weeks.

The tension reached a breaking point last month when Lamour publicly condemned a controversial proposal championed by Infantino to sell a significant stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other major tournaments.

In a sharp rebuke, Lamour alleged that FIFA staff had been misled regarding the plan, characterizing the initiative as the personal project of a single individual rather than a move to serve the broader interests of the sport.

He stated that the organization’s mission is to serve football, not the personal interests of a leader who he claimed believes he embodies FIFA itself. This high-profile exit is the latest development in a growing crisis that has cast significant doubt on Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as president, an election scheduled for March of next year.

The proposal that triggered the backlash—a plan to create a $20 billion subsidiary and sell a 20% stake to private equity investors—was ultimately withdrawn by Infantino after senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest, labeling the deal detrimental to the future of football. Despite the withdrawal of the plan, the political fallout continues to intensify.

Infantino now faces organized opposition from several major football confederations, including UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and CONCACAF. While the Swiss leader maintains the support of confederations in Africa and South America, his path to reelection is no longer the formality it once appeared to be.

The scrutiny surrounding his leadership has expanded to include legal and governance challenges. The human rights organization Fair. Square has formally petitioned FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee to rule Infantino ineligible for another term.

The challenge centers on the interpretation of term limits, which were a cornerstone of the 2016 reforms intended to curb presidential power. Although FIFA presidents are restricted to three terms, Infantino successfully argued in 2022 that his initial stint from 2016 to 2019, which followed the resignation of Sepp Blatter, should not count toward the limit.

Fair. Square director Nicholas Mc. Geehan argued that this interpretation sets a dangerous precedent and constitutes a clear breach of established rules.

Miguel Maduro, the former head of FIFA’s independent Governance and Review Committee, echoed these concerns, stating that the attempt to carve out an exception for the current president reveals a fundamental resistance to the principle of term limits. As the internal pressure mounts, national associations are also beginning to distance themselves from the incumbent.

The Scottish Football Association has confirmed it will not support Infantino’s reelection, and major confederations have called for an independent review of his conduct. With sources suggesting that some regional bodies view these calls as an opportunity for Infantino to step down, the governing body remains in a state of significant instability as it approaches the upcoming election cycle.