Leadership Change at FIFA Following Commercial Rights Dispute
Kevin Lamour, who served as FIFA's Chief Operating Officer, has departed from the global football governing body. His exit comes weeks after he publicly voiced strong opposition to FIFA President Gianni Infantino's initiative to sell a portion of the commercial rights for the World Cup and other major tournaments.
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed the conclusion of the working relationship between FIFA and Lamour on August 17, 2026. The statement expressed gratitude for Lamour's two years of service and extended best wishes for his future endeavors, adding that no further comments would be made regarding the matter.
Lamour's Criticism and the Proposed Commercial Deal
Lamour, who joined FIFA's senior leadership in November 2024 and was previously instrumental in Infantino's 2016 election campaign, had openly criticized the commercial proposal last month. He notably stated that FIFA staff had been 'deceived' by the plan, characterizing 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 had asserted.
His comments followed the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, another senior adviser to Infantino, who also protested the proposal, labeling it 'a bad deal for football.' Infantino subsequently withdrew the contentious proposal on the same day.
The plan involved creating a $20 billion subsidiary and selling up to a 20 percent stake to private equity investors, aiming to raise $4.2 billion. Despite the withdrawal, the controversy surrounding the proposal has persisted.
Infantino's Re-election Prospects Under Scrutiny
The backlash has cast a shadow over Infantino's bid for a fourth term as president in March of the upcoming year, a re-election that was once considered a mere formality. Significant opposition has emerged from powerful confederations, including the European confederation UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF (which governs football in North, Central America, and the Caribbean). However, Infantino continues to receive support from the African and South American confederations.
Adding to the pressure, the human rights in sport organization FairSquare formally requested FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) to deem Infantino ineligible for another presidential term. The organization argues that his previous term limit interpretations are a clear breach of established rules.
Debate Over Presidential Term Limits
FIFA presidents are typically restricted to three terms. However, Infantino successfully argued in 2022 that his initial period in office, from 2016 to 2019, should not count towards this limit because it completed an interrupted mandate. He was first elected at an Extraordinary Congress following Sepp Blatter's resignation amidst a corruption scandal, and subsequently re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Nicholas McGeehan, director of FairSquare, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “The complaint we have filed provides clear evidence that this is a clear breach of the rules and one that sets a very dangerous precedent. The rules state clearly that three presidential terms is the maximum allowed. FIFA can’t simply circumvent this rule – which serves as a check on presidential power – by saying that his first term doesn’t count.”
FIFA has not yet provided a response to these allegations. Last week, UEFA, the AFC, and CONCACAF collectively called for an independent review of Infantino's conduct, with sources suggesting that these confederations saw the call as an opportunity for Infantino to resign gracefully.
Miguel Maduro, former head of FIFA’s independent Governance and Review Committee, assisted FairSquare in drafting their letter to the GACC. He reiterated the importance of adhering to FIFA's own rules, stating, “The principle of term limits was a fundamental aspect of the 2016 reform aimed at limiting power and the rule introduced is clear: no FIFA President can serve more than three terms of office. Trying to carve out an exception to such a rule for Mr Infantino reveals both a resistance to the principle of term limits and how some at FIFA conceive of rules not as rules but as obstacles to be circumvented.”
Previously, a complaint by FairSquare to the International Olympic Committee regarding Infantino's alleged breach of political neutrality rules, stemming from his support for United States President Donald Trump, was rejected last month. Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020.
