UEFA: Kevin Lamour's Dismissal Is a Form of FIFA Muzzling

Resistance against FIFA President Gianni Infantino continues to strengthen following the controversial decision to dismiss FIFA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour. The sacking of the senior executive has drawn sharp criticism from UEFA Vice-President Laura McAllister, who views the move as a form of muzzling organisational transparency.

Lamour’s dismissal was confirmed on Monday evening, just two weeks after he publicly exposed Infantino’s secret plan regarding a scheme to sell shares in FIFA competitions to private investors through the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) project. Lamour had asserted that FIFA’s internal leadership had been ‘deceived’ and described the commercialisation plan as merely ‘one man’s personal project’.

‘Losing a leader of Kevin’s calibre sends a deeply worrying message to all of us who are striving for change within FIFA,’ McAllister stressed in her official statement. She added that the dismissal seriously damages independent governance and distances FIFA from the fundamental values of sport. ‘FIFA does not belong to the president alone, but to the entire global football family.’

This internal conflict had previously caused severe turmoil at executive level. Before Lamour was sacked, FIFA Senior Adviser Carlos Cordeiro had already resigned. FIFA ultimately cancelled the share sale plan on 1 August, a day after Lamour’s sharp criticism came to public attention.

Although Infantino managed to secure support from a number of executives during an emergency meeting in Morocco, which Lamour did not attend, opposition from major confederations continues to grow. UEFA, together with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf, has released an open letter accusing Infantino of damaging public trust through manipulative actions. Furthermore, the football federations of England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland have officially withdrawn their support and confirmed they will not vote for Infantino in the FIFA presidential election in early 2027.