Fifa has come under fresh criticism after Kevin Lamour, its chief operating officer, left the organisation just weeks after publicly opposing president Gianni Infantino's plans to sell commercial stakes in the World Cup.
Lamour's exit was confirmed on Monday, with Fifa issuing a brief statement thanking him for two years of service and noting that "the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Fifa's chief operating officer has ended."
The departure has triggered pointed criticism from within football's governing structures. Lise Klaveness, president of the Football Association of Norway and a persistent critic of Infantino's leadership, told the Associated Press she believes Lamour was dismissed rather than having resigned voluntarily.
"This is a firing situation, it's not a resignation," Klaveness said, adding that Fifa's handling of the matter amounted to "management by fear." She went further, saying: "Now he is thrown out and we are supposed to move on. It's unacceptable, it's management by fear."
Klaveness called on Fifa's leadership and administrative staff to resist directives that run counter to football's broader interests, stating: "Now we also have to call upon Fifa leadership and the administration to not submit to orders you know are not in the interests of football."
According to reporting, it was Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom—not Infantino himself—who conducted the final conversation with Lamour regarding his departure. Grafstrom also took responsibility for notifying Fifa staff of the news via internal email. Klaveness suggested this was not evidence of Grafstrom acting independently, saying he had "obviously being pressured by the president."
The controversy stems from comments Lamour made in late July, when he broke ranks to criticize Infantino's proposal to sell off commercial stakes tied to the World Cup. At the time, Lamour said Fifa employees had been "deceived" by the plans and had been left uninformed about the details. He argued that staff "deserve better than contempt and intimidation," and stated he would be able to "sleep well tonight" having spoken out against the initiative, fully aware that doing so could cost him his position.
The World Cup commercial stakes plan was ultimately abandoned following the backlash it generated. Klaveness credited Lamour's willingness to go public as instrumental in halting the initiative. "His statement was necessary to kill the project," she said. She further emphasized the importance of an insider voice confirming that the plan reflected the ambitions of one individual rather than a consensus within Fifa itself. "He said something that was obvious, that was very important that someone within the staff told us the story so that we knew it was not Fifa, as such, but one person," Klaveness explained.
The episode adds to ongoing tensions surrounding Infantino's leadership style. Earlier this month, following an emergency meeting held in Rabat, Grafstrom signed a Fifa statement in which Infantino apologized for "mistakes" connected to the World Cup commercial plans. That same statement indicated that senior Fifa figures had "reaffirmed their support" for the president despite the controversy.
Critics like Klaveness argue that Lamour's departure sends a troubling signal about the treatment of dissenting voices within football's governing body, raising fresh questions about internal accountability at Fifa.
Fifa has not yet responded to requests for comment on the circumstances surrounding Lamour's exit.
Based on reporting from The Independent.