FIFA's Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour has left his post after publicly criticizing federation president Gianni Infantino in late July, according to infohub.kz.
As reported by RBC citing the New York Times, Lamour's dismissal came after his department issued a statement on July 31 criticizing Infantino amid a scandal over the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) program. A FIFA spokesperson confirmed Lamour's departure, thanking him for two years of service and wishing him well in the future. Lamour had previously worked with Infantino at UEFA.
The scandal erupted after FIFA formed a project to sell the rights to the men's, women's, and club World Cups to private investors. In response, all members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) declared a boycott of FIFA tournaments until the initiative was fully abandoned. UEFA's stance was supported by the confederations of the Americas and Asia, which accused FIFA of a lack of transparency in shaping the new commercial concept.
Amid the scandal, it was revealed that an adviser to the FIFA president had resigned in protest. UEFA even developed a plan to hold its own version of the World Cup. Later, FIFA abandoned the controversial plan to sell World Cup rights.
Recently, FIFA's leadership expressed support for Infantino and acknowledged errors in the World Cup rights sale project. FIFA also claimed there were attempts to undermine Infantino's authority. The U.S. Soccer Federation called for changes in FIFA's governance structure, publishing a joint statement with several other football associations.