Laura McAllister, a Uefa vice-president, has stated that Fifa‘s decision to dismiss senior executive Kevin Lamour sends a “deeply troubling message to all of us seeking change.” Lamour, who held the position of chief operating officer at Fifa, had his departure confirmed on Monday evening.
His dismissal occurred just over two weeks after he issued a statement claiming that the world governing body’s administration had been “deceived” by president Gianni Infantino. This deception concerned a proposal to sell stakes in competitions to private investors. Lamour had labelled this private investment initiative as “the project of one person.”
Concerns over Fifa’s administration
McAllister, a former Wales captain and current Uefa executive committee member, worked with Lamour when he served as deputy general secretary at the European governing body. She released a statement criticising his sacking, describing Lamour as an “honourable and exemplary sports leader” and a “trusted colleague.”
She further noted that Lamour is a “deeply principled leader who cares passionately for football” and a “brave advocate for the values that should underpin all we do as custodians of our game.” McAllister added that during recent events, Lamour demonstrated himself to be a “courageous advocate for the most important stakeholders in football.”
McAllister highlighted that Lamour’s leadership consistently operated on principles of respect, independence, transparency, and sound governance. She believes that his sacking “seriously weakens Fifa’s administration” and undermines an opportunity to shift the culture at Fifa towards sporting values, rather than solely commercial and financial ones. She reiterated her view that “Fifa is not the president, it is the whole football family.”
The Uefa vice-president emphasised the need for strong, principled, independent leaders in world football who are prepared to speak up, challenge when necessary, and uphold the values of the global game. She concluded that the loss of a leader of Lamour’s calibre “sends a deeply troubling message to all of us seeking change.”
Infantino’s proposals and reactions
Fifa ultimately aborted a plan to sell stakes in the body’s football competitions on 1 August, one day after Lamour’s statement. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro had resigned earlier on the same day, putting pressure on Infantino. Infantino later received the backing of senior Fifa executives in a meeting in Morocco, which Lamour did not attend.
Uefa has previously expressed a lack of confidence in Infantino, describing the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal as a “shabby, back room, opaque deal.” An open letter was subsequently released by Uefa, alongside the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Concacaf, the North American confederation. This letter accused Fifa and Infantino of breaking trust “through deception” regarding the private investment strategy.
The Football Associations of England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland, and Scotland have withdrawn their support for Infantino and will not vote for his re-election as president in early 2027. Israel became the latest body to retract its support on Tuesday, with Moshe Zuares, president of the Israel FA, citing an “unprecedented crisis of trust” and a profound divide between parties.
Infantino’s concept to create the FFE, intended to manage commercial and operational aspects of its competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, was first reported on 28 July. Fifa confirmed details of the scheme later that day, including plans to offload a minority stake in FFE to private financiers, with Thrive Eternal, a business established by Joshua Kushner, set to head the investor group.
Despite Infantino withdrawing the plan, Uefa maintains its threat to boycott Fifa tournaments, a threat originally made while the FFE project was active. The next Fifa event since the men’s World Cup is the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, which is scheduled to start next month.
While Fifa’s 5 August statement backing Infantino included a promise to review the procedures surrounding the FFE proposal, almost two weeks after that announcement, the organisation has not confirmed who will conduct the review.
Lamour’s public statement to the Associated Press, which detailed the administration being “deceived” by Infantino, was made on 31 July.
Source: bbc.co.uk