FIFA says Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour no longer has a working relationship with the organization.

The world`s football governing body has fired its Chief Operating Officer (COO) Kevin Lamour after he publicly criticized the organization`s president Gianni Infantino and his plans to sell the World Cup to an investment firm tied to US President Donald Trump`s family.

FIFA said in a Monday statement that Lamour would no longer serve in his role as the organization`s COO.

"FIFA can confirm that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as FIFA`s Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026... FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future," said a spokesperson.

Lamour`s dismissal comes nearly a month after he criticized Infantino and his controversial plan to privatize the World Cup under an equity investment scheme valued at $20 billion.

The scheme involved a firm run by Josh Kushner, the brother of Trump`s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and was supposed to raise $4.2 billion through a subsidiary called the FIFA Forward Enterprise.

The plan sparked massive criticism in the world of football, with continental federations and FIFA member states threatening to boycott the World Cup if it went ahead.

Infantino then swiftly withdrew the plan, fearing it could put his job as FIFA president at risk. He also begged Trump and his administration to help him keep his job amid growing calls for his resignation.

Lamour, once Infantino`s close friend and aide in the European football body, said in a statement in July that Infantino was using FIFA and football to serve his own interests.

"Our mission ... is to serve football. Not to serve the personal interests of a person who, unfortunately, believes he embodies FIFA when he is supposed to be at its service... If that means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I`ll sleep well tonight," he said in the statement.