Infantino loses further FIFA backing after COO Kevin Lamour exits, vice-president calls firing 'final straw'
Gianni Infantino lost additional support within FIFA after Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour left the organisation, FIFA said on Monday, and Hungary's vice-president Sandor Csanyi described Lamour's dismissal as "the final straw." The departures and public criticism have increased pressure on the federation's president ahead of next year's election cycle.
FIFA announced Lamour's exit weeks after he publicly criticised Infantino's plan to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other tournaments. Lamour had said that staff had been "deceived" over the plan which he described as the project of one person. His exit has coincided with calls from three confederations for Infantino to resign. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.
The Lamour departure prompted Sandor Csanyi — one of eight FIFA vice-presidents and a member of the FIFA Council — to withdraw his support and address a letter to Infantino, seen by Reuters. "The final straw was the unexpected dismissal of Kevin Lamour," Csanyi wrote. He added: "Kevin performed his duties to a high professional and ethical standard and, as a highly competent executive, made a significant contribution to the transparent operation of the organisation. The fact that his dismissal was prompted by his criticism of the above-mentioned initiative — an initiative that you yourself ultimately acknowledged to have been misguided — points to serious shortcomings in professional judgement, ethical standards and leadership."
Other senior FIFA figures have publicly criticised Infantino's conduct, including UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa and CONCACAF president Vittorio Montagliani. Montenegro's Dejan Savicevic, a FIFA Council member since 2017 and president of the country's football association, said he had withdrawn his earlier letter of support and sent a letter to FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom outlining his concerns. "The recent developments within FIFA are extremely worrying and have shown serious lack of communication and transparency not only to the member associations... but also to the internal members, FIFA Council included, and structures which should hold the foundations of FIFA," Savicevic wrote. "The proposals put forward exposed concerning vulnerabilities regarding governance, not only at political level but also within the FIFA administration. The Football Association of Montenegro agrees with the opinion of other European national associations and UEFA and demands a thorough review of the actions of the FIFA leadership," he added.
Israel has also withdrawn its support for Infantino, according to the Guardian, with the decision taken unanimously by the IFA board. Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney told the BBC that Infantino should resign after his doomed proposal to "sell off the crown jewels" to private equity investors. Earlier this month, Wales became the first national federation to formally withdraw its support for Infantino.
Despite the criticism from several European and other national associations, the African confederation CAF and South America's CONMEBOL remain publicly aligned with Infantino. CAF president Patrice Motsepe, also a FIFA vice-president, said any attempt to remove Infantino should be decided democratically by FIFA's 211 member associations at next year's elections. A CAF spokesperson said Motsepe had nothing further to add after Lamour's exit.
Infantino is up for reelection in March as he seeks a fourth term until 2031. Motsepe's comments and the divided positions of confederations mean the matter is being framed around next year's electoral process among FIFA's 211 member associations.
