FIFA CEO Leaves Organization After Criticizing World Cup Share Sale Plan

FIFA has confirmed that CEO Kevin Lamour left the organization on 17 August 2026, just weeks after he publicly criticized President Gianni Infantino's plan to sell shares in the commercial rights to the World Cup and other tournaments.

In a statement on Monday, a FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA confirms that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as Chief Executive Officer ended on 17 August 2026. FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him well in his future endeavors. We will have no further comment on this matter.”

Lamour joined the senior leadership team of the global football governing body in November 2024. Prior to that, he was part of the close-knit group that campaigned for Infantino's election as FIFA president in 2016.

Last month, Lamour publicly criticized the plan, saying FIFA staff had been “deceived” and describing it as a “one-man project.” He said: “Our mission… is to serve football, not to serve the personal interests of one man, who unfortunately believes he is the embodiment of FIFA when he should be serving the organization.”

Lamour's comments came shortly after Carlos Cordeiro, a senior advisor to Infantino, resigned in protest over the plan, calling it “a bad deal for football.” Infantino later withdrew the proposal later that day.

However, the wave of opposition to the plan to set up a $20 billion subsidiary and sell up to 20% of its shares to private equity investors to raise $4.2 billion has yet to subside.

Infantino's bid for a fourth term in March next year, once seen as a formality, is now uncertain. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and CONCACAF are aligning against the 56-year-old Swiss leader, while he still receives support from African and South American confederations.

The sports human rights organization FairSquare confirmed on Monday it had sent a letter to FIFA's Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC), requesting that Infantino be declared ineligible to run for another presidential term.

Despite the rule limiting FIFA presidents to a maximum of three terms, Infantino successfully argued in 2022 that his first term from 2016 to 2019 should not count because it completed a truncated term. He was first elected at an extraordinary congress following Sepp Blatter's resignation amid a corruption scandal, then re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.

FairSquare's director, Nicholas McGeehan, said: “The complaint we filed provides clear evidence of rule-breaking and sets a very dangerous precedent. The rules state that three presidential terms are the maximum. FIFA cannot break this rule – which is a check on presidential power – by declaring the first term doesn't count.”

Last week, UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF – the governing bodies for football in the Caribbean, North and Central America – called for an independent review of Infantino's conduct. Informed sources said the three confederations view the letter as an opportunity for Infantino to resign with dignity.

FairSquare's letter to GACC was prepared with the support of Miguel Maduro, former head of FIFA's Governance and Independent Review Committee. Maduro stated: “The term-limit principle is a fundamental aspect of the 2016 reforms to limit power, and the rule is clear: no FIFA president may serve more than three terms. Attempting to create an exception for Mr. Infantino shows opposition to the term-limit principle and how some at FIFA view rules not as rules but as obstacles to be avoided.”

Earlier, FairSquare's complaint to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about Infantino violating political neutrality rules by supporting former US President Donald Trump was dismissed last month. Infantino has been an IOC member since 2020.