Fifa fires COO Kevin Lamour after clash over World Cup sell-off
What's new: Lamour's exit came weeks after he warned staff had been "deceived" by a plan to sell a 21% stake in a new rights company.
Fifa has removed chief operating officer Kevin Lamour after he publicly opposed President Gianni Infantino's failed plan to spin off and partially sell World Cup and other competition rights to private investors. Fifa said the working relationship ended on Aug. 17, while Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom told staff the sides had agreed to part ways. Lamour had denounced the proposed Fifa Forward Enterprise structure as the project of one person and said the administration had been deceived. The plan, which would have sold 21% of the new company, was dropped on July 31 after criticism from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation, deepening pressure on Infantino.