{
  "id": 1557911,
  "title": "FIFA executive who criticised Infantino's World Cup sale plan departs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/fifa-executive-who-criticised-infantinos-world-cup-sale-plan-departs",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-17T20:35:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-18/fifa-sacks-senior-executive-kevin-lamour-after-criticism/107048594"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "FIFA has announced that Kevin Lamour, the executive chief operating officer, has resigned from the soccer governing body. This occurred just weeks following his public dissent against president Gianni Infantino's proposal to sell a portion of FIFA's World Cup stake to external investors. Lamour, in a statement, alleged that FIFA staff had been misled about the plan, referring to it as \"the project of one person.\" Infantino's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, has departed from FIFA's management, weeks after he criticized Infantino's plans to sell a part of the World Cup to external parties. FIFA has acknowledged Lamour's two years of service and extended their best wishes for his future endeavors. The organization has decided not to comment further on the matter. Lamour's dissatisfaction with the proposal surfaced last month, where he stated that FIFA staff had been deceived regarding the plan and termed it \"the project of one person.\" His remarks followed shortly after Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's senior adviser, resigned in protest of the same proposal, describing it as \"a bad deal for football.\" The controversy escalated as FIFA faced widespread opposition to its plan to establish a $20 billion subsidiary to manage its tournaments, including the World Cup, with the possibility of selling up to a 20% stake to external investors. FIFA subsequently, backed off the proposal following the public backlash.",
  "summary": "FIFA's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, leaves soccer's governing body, weeks after publicly criticising president Gianni Infantino.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Maverick",
        "title": "BALD AMBITION: Momentum builds against Fifa’s Infantino after his FFE own goal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/bald-ambition-momentum-builds-against-fifas-infantino-after-his-ffe",
        "published": "2026-08-16T06:44:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Sky News",
        "title": "FIFA sacks senior executive who criticised Infantino, Sky News understands",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/fifa-sacks-senior-executive-who-criticised-infantino-sky-news-1548898",
        "published": "2026-08-17T19:02:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "FIFA sacks senior executive who criticised Infantino, Sky News understands",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/fifa-sacks-senior-executive-who-criticised-infantino-sky-news",
        "published": "2026-08-17T19:23:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "Top Fifa official leaves after Infantino plan criticism",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/top-fifa-official-leaves-after-infantino-plan-criticism",
        "published": "2026-08-17T19:52:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News",
        "title": "FIFA executive who criticised Infantino's World Cup sale plan departs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/fifa-executive-who-criticised-infantinos-world-cup-sale-plan-departs-1560351",
        "published": "2026-08-17T20:35:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}