Uefa vice-president condemns Fifa's sacking of Infantino critic as 'deeply troubling message'

Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister has condemned Fifa’s dismissal of chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, warning that his sacking sends a “deeply troubling message to all of us seeking change” within world football’s governing body.

Fifa confirmed Lamour’s exit on Monday evening, just over two weeks after he told the Associated Press that the organisation’s administration had been “deceived” by president Gianni Infantino over a proposal to sell shares in a World Cup entity to private investors. Lamour’s public statement on 31 July — issued the same day senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned — labelled the initiative as “the project of one person” and placed Infantino under significant pressure.

McAllister, a former Wales captain and current Uefa executive committee member, previously worked alongside Lamour when he served as deputy general secretary at Uefa. She did not hold back in her assessment of his removal.

“I know Kevin Lamour to be an honourable and exemplary sports leader who was a trusted colleague of mine when I was first elected to Uefa Ex Co,” McAllister said in a statement. “Kevin is not only a deeply principled leader who cares passionately for football, but a brave advocate for the values that should underpin all we do as custodians of our game.”

She added: “Kevin’s sacking seriously weakens Fifa’s administration, whilst undermining this unique opportunity to shift the culture at Fifa and to reset the organisation on sporting values, not simply commercial and financial ones. Fifa is not the president, it is the whole football family.”

Lamour was absent from the Fifa management board meeting in Morocco on 5 August, at which the board announced its “full support” for Infantino.

The criticism from McAllister follows a broader escalation of tensions between Infantino and several of football’s major confederations. Uefa, Concacaf, and the Asian Football Confederation jointly accused Infantino of “deception” over the private investment strategy in an open letter published last week. The letter’s signatories — including Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, AFC president Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani — are understood to want Infantino to resign and leave his role with dignity.