Norway FA Chief Slams Gianni Infantino Over Kevin Lamour’s 'Unacceptable' Firing

Norway FA president Lise Klaveness condemned the dismissal of Kevin Lamour, which occurred 17 days after he criticized a $20 billion private equity plan.

FIFA terminated chief operating officer Kevin Lamour late Monday, exactly 17 days after his July 31 statement to the Associated Press criticized a $20 billion private equity project backed by Gianni Infantino. Norway FA president Lise Klaveness described the removal as "unacceptable" and "management by fear" during a Tuesday telephone interview. The failed "FIFA Forward Enterprise" proposal sought a $4.2 billion investment for a 20% stake in a commercial spin-off, which would have provided $20 million to each of the 211 national member federations.

Lamour, an administrator at UEFA from 2007 to 2015 before joining Infantino’s 2016 election campaign team, moved to Zurich two years ago to oversee FIFA operations. His July 31 intervention claimed staff were "deceived" by a lack of transparency regarding the sale to investors led by Joshua Kushner. Klaveness credited Lamour’s statement as "necessary to kill the project," which faced significant backlash from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and Concacaf.

Internal Pressure and Management Tactics

Klaveness specifically called upon FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström and the broader administration to resist orders that do not serve the interests of football. She alleged that Grafström carried out the firing while "obviously being pressured by the president." The Norway official, who serves as a judge in Oslo and an elected executive committee member at UEFA, characterized Lamour as the best football administrator she had ever met.

Following the collapse of the deal, Infantino convened a meeting with senior management in Rabat, Morocco, on August 5, which Lamour did not attend. A subsequent FIFA statement claimed the managers present "reaffirmed their full support" for Infantino’s presidency and apologized for errors. Klaveness countered this narrative, stating that reports from Morocco confirmed a culture of intimidation within the governing body.

The $20 Billion Private Equity Proposal

The secretive plan involved selling future World Cup profits to private investors, despite FIFA already possessing multibillion-dollar reserves. Member federations, who effectively own the non-profit body, were facing a mid-September deadline to accept the $20 million offers. Lamour’s public opposition highlighted that staff deserved better than "contempt and intimidation," even acknowledging at the time that his stance might cost him his job.

FIFA’s official response to the dismissal was a brief statement thanking Lamour for two years of service and wishing him luck. However, Klaveness emphasized that this was a "firing situation" rather than a resignation. She urged leaders to prioritize the integrity of the sport over administrative mandates that could cause long-term damage.

Impact on FIFA Presidential Election

Prior to the uproar surrounding the $20 billion sell-off plan, Infantino appeared certain to be reelected unopposed in Morocco next year. The current deadline for challengers to enter the presidential contest is November 18. The crisis sparked by the private equity deal has intensified scrutiny of Infantino’s leadership among global soccer executives.

Klaveness, representing a country known as a champion of good governance, insisted that the truth about the project needed to be told so stakeholders knew it originated from "one person" rather than the organization as a whole. Lamour had previously worked closely with Infantino for nearly two decades before the public rift over the World Cup commercial rights plan ended his tenure in Zurich.