FIFA COO Kevin Lamour Exits After World Cup Investment Dispute

FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the global soccer body, deepening the fallout from a proposed private-equity deal tied to future World Cup revenue. FIFA confirmed that its working relationship with Lamour ended on August 17, according to reporting by The Associated Press.

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Lamour’s departure came little more than two weeks after he publicly challenged FIFA president Gianni Infantino over the proposal. The AP reported that the plan involved selling stakes in future World Cup profits to private equity funds through a new commercial structure. Lamour said staff had not been properly informed while the project was being developed and argued that it should not proceed.

FIFA did not disclose the terms of Lamour’s exit. In its confirmation, the governing body thanked him for two years of service. Lamour had served as chief operating officer since 2024 and was based at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich. He had also worked alongside Infantino for years, including during their time at UEFA.

The dispute had already prompted another senior departure. Carlos Cordeiro, an adviser to Infantino and a former president of the United States Soccer Federation, resigned on July 31 while opposing the proposal. The AP reported that Cordeiro described the planned commercial subsidiary as a $20 billion project and urged other senior FIFA officials to speak publicly about it.

Infantino withdrew the proposal on August 1 after opposition emerged from within international soccer. In announcing that decision, he said the plan had created divisions that were no longer compatible with its stated purpose. FIFA had presented the project as a way to generate more support for its 211 member associations, particularly those most in need of development funding.

FIFA’s leadership then met in Rabat, Morocco, on August 5. In a statement after that meeting, the organization acknowledged errors around the project and said it would work to restore confidence through greater unity and transparency. Lamour’s subsequent exit leaves FIFA facing further questions about its internal governance as it moves on from the abandoned investment plan.