Kevin Lamour’s departure has intensified criticism of Gianni Infantino ahead of his bid for a fourth FIFA presidential term.
Gianni Infantino is facing increasing opposition within FIFA after the departure of Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour triggered fresh criticism of the organisation’s leadership and governance.
Lamour left FIFA on Monday, only weeks after publicly challenging Infantino’s controversial proposal to sell a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other major tournaments. His departure has since become a major source of concern among senior football officials.
Hungarian football chief Sandor Csanyi, one of FIFA’s vice-presidents and a member of the FIFA Council, said Lamour’s dismissal was the final factor behind his decision to withdraw support for Infantino.
Csanyi questioned the circumstances surrounding the COO’s departure and argued that Lamour had maintained high professional and ethical standards during his time at FIFA. He also raised concerns that the dismissal was connected to Lamour’s criticism of the commercial rights proposal.
The controversy comes as Infantino faces broader resistance ahead of the FIFA presidential election in March, when he is seeking a fourth term that would keep him in office until 2031.
Several influential football figures have already criticised the FIFA president. UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa and Concacaf president Vittorio Montagliani have all expressed opposition to aspects of Infantino’s leadership.
Montenegro football association president Dejan Savicevic also said his federation had withdrawn its previous support for Infantino’s candidacy. He cited concerns over communication, transparency and governance within FIFA.
The Football Association of Wales has taken an even stronger position, with chief executive Noel Mooney calling for Infantino to resign. Wales became the first national federation to formally withdraw its backing for the FIFA president earlier this month.
Despite the growing criticism, Infantino continues to retain support from key parts of world football. Confederations including Africa’s CAF and South America’s CONMEBOL remain supportive of his leadership.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe has argued that any decision concerning Infantino’s future should be made democratically by FIFA’s 211 member associations through next year’s election process.
The latest developments nevertheless add further pressure on Infantino as the race for FIFA’s presidency approaches, with governance and transparency expected to remain central issues in the debate over his leadership.