McAllister says Lamour dismissal sends troubling message at Fifa

Uefa vice-president Laura McAllister has condemned Fifa’s dismissal of chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, saying it sends a troubling signal to those seeking reform in world football. Lamour left his post on Monday evening, slightly more than two weeks after publicly challenging a proposed investment scheme involving Fifa competitions.

McAllister, a former Wales captain and a member of Uefa’s executive committee, worked with Lamour during his time as Uefa’s deputy general secretary. She described him as a principled and trusted football administrator who was willing to defend the sport’s wider values.

Lamour had said Fifa’s administration was misled by president Gianni Infantino over plans to sell stakes in competitions to private investors. He also characterised the proposal as a personal project rather than an initiative representing the organisation as a whole.

Fifa abandoned the plan on 1 August, one day after Lamour’s criticism became public. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned on the same day, increasing pressure on Infantino. Fifa’s senior executives later backed the president at a meeting in Morocco, which Lamour did not attend.

The dispute has widened the breakdown between Fifa and Uefa. European football’s governing body has said it no longer has confidence in Infantino and described the Fifa Forward Enterprise proposal as opaque and improperly handled. Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf later issued a joint open letter accusing Fifa and Infantino of damaging trust through deception.

McAllister said Lamour’s removal weakened Fifa’s administration and damaged an opportunity to change the organisation’s culture. She argued that football’s global governing body should be guided by independence, transparency, respect and sound governance, rather than commercial and financial priorities alone.

The Football Associations of England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland have withdrawn their backing for Infantino and will not support his re-election bid in early 2027. McAllister said football needed independent leaders prepared to challenge decisions and uphold the values of the global game.