Kevin Lamour leaves FIFA after opposing Infantino’s proposed World Cup sale
Kevin Lamour has left his post as FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer after publicly opposing Gianni Infantino’s proposal to sell part of the World Cup to private investors; FIFA confirmed the working relationship ended on 17 August 2026. Lamour had been the only senior official to speak out against the scheme when it emerged last month.
A long-serving FIFA figure, Lamour—who the article notes had once inspired a single title by synth-pop duo Erasure—refused to sign off on the contested proposal, calling it “the project of one person” and saying the administration had been “deceived” by Gianni. He added that if dissent “means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.” The sell-off plan was quietly shelved a few days after his objections were made public.
FIFA issued a short statement confirming the end of the working relationship, stating: “Fifa can confirm that the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Fifa’s Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026.” The spokesman continued: “Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future. No further comment will be made on the matter.”
Reaction from outside FIFA included a public rebuke from Lise Klavness, head of the Norwegian Football Association, who said: “Now he is thrown out and we are supposed to move on,” and added: “It’s unacceptable, it’s management by fear.” Klavness described Lamour as “the best football administrator she has ever met” and called on FIFA leadership “not [to] submit to orders you know are not in the interests of football.”
Some commentators read those remarks as aimed at the Swedish FIFA official Mattias Grafström, who is understood to have sacked Lamour at the behest of Gianni. Grafström wrote in an internal email to staff: “Individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go,” adding: “The institution, its mission and its responsibility towards world football continue.”
Separately, the article includes a report on Pep Guardiola, quoting him at length from a new Amazon documentary: “Guys I want to confess something, I’m [eff]ing divorced from the most beautiful woman on your planet. It’s my wife, my ex-wife – I love her unbelievably, but we lost the passion. For many reasons, we lost the passion. I love her? Yes, absolutely. She loves me? Yes, but we lost the passion. How do you play football, because you are paid? Or because of something inside? Where is the passion? In your life, whatever you are going to do, do it with passion. I don’t want any good players. I want players with passion.” The piece also reports an on-screen altercation between the former City manager and Kyle Walker.
The Football Daily extract carries reader correspondence, including Stewart McGuinness’s letter on player wages: “To put things into perspective, if we estimate the average Premier League player’s wage to be, say, £5m per annum, or £100,000 per week, this works out that in one week such a player gets (hardly earns) more than the likes of Jimmy Greaves earned in his complete football career. If we go back to players like Finney, Milburn and Lofthouse the difference is even greater.” Bob Cushion wrote: “I’m glad Rob Smyth was dissing a lousy movie and not the Gigli, Beniamino, the Italian tenor, in my humble opinion the best there ever has been. Well, I needed something to take my mind off the football!” The edition names Anthony Brady as “Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner.” Readers are invited to send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com and told that “Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.”
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