Fifa executive's sacking a 'deeply troubling' sign, says Uefa's McAllister

Fifa confirmed on Monday evening that it had dismissed chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, a little over two weeks after he issued a statement claiming the governing body's administration had been deceived by president Gianni Infantino over a scheme to sell stakes in Fifa competitions to private investors.

Uefa executive committee member Laura McAllister, a former Wales captain who worked alongside Lamour when he served as Uefa's deputy general secretary, released a statement strongly criticising the decision. She described Lamour as an honourable, principled leader who showed courage in standing up for football's key stakeholders during what she called weeks of "shabby" events.

Fifa abandoned the stake-sale plan on 1 August, one day after Lamour's statement, which he described as "the project of one person." Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned that same day, adding pressure on Infantino, who nonetheless secured backing from senior Fifa executives at a meeting in Morocco that Lamour did not attend.

Uefa had already said it had lost confidence in Infantino, describing the proposal, known as Fifa Forward Enterprise, as a "shabby, back room, opaque deal." Together with the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf, Uefa issued an open letter accusing Fifa and Infantino of breaking trust "through deception." The football associations of England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland have said they will not support Infantino's re-election as president in early 2027.

McAllister said Lamour's dismissal seriously weakens Fifa's administration and undermines a rare chance to reset the organisation's culture around sporting rather than purely commercial values, adding that "Fifa is not the president, it is the whole football family." She warned that losing a leader of Lamour's calibre sends a troubling message to those pushing for change within world football.