LaLiga chief Tebas says Infantino should resign
LaLiga president Javier Tebas says Gianni Infantino should step down, accusing the FIFA president of damaging football by pushing more and more international tournaments at the expense of domestic leagues and clubs.
Tebas has been criticising FIFA's calendar for a while, especially the growing schedule pressure and the talk of making the World Cup even bigger. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, he was asked directly whether Infantino should resign and gave a pretty clear answer.
"In my opinion, yes, I think his time is over," Tebas said.
Infantino said back in April that he would run for a 4th term as FIFA president, with the vote for the 2027-2031 cycle due to take place in Morocco on March 18 next year. Tebas, though, argued that the problem is not just the man at the top but the system around him. He said many people in football complain privately about Infantino, but nobody wants to stand against him and lose.
"He should not stay, but the current situation forces him to remain," Tebas said. "There is no opposing candidate; nobody wants to run only to lose. This is the system, and it is a system with many flaws at its roots."
He also pointed to one recent case that clearly still angers him. Tebas questioned FIFA's decision to delay a 1-match ban for USA forward Folarin Balogun after his red card at the World Cup, a move that came after intervention from US President Donald Trump. Belgium then beat the United States 4-1 in the last 16.
"The suspension of the ban on the American player is a very serious matter," Tebas said. "They were lucky Belgium knocked the US out, because otherwise there could have been an incident that might have cost Infantino his job."
Tebas then widened the attack. He said expanding the men's World Cup to 64 teams, an idea again pushed by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez for the 2030 centenary edition, would only make things worse. Infantino has previously said that format could be considered in future.
For Tebas, that is exactly the problem.
"Increasing the number of national teams is nonsense," he said. "The football industry does not revolve only around the World Cup. The domestic leagues are what sustain the sport."
He went even further, claiming FIFA are now "destroying the football industry" for the sake of a 40-day event. His comments come at a time when tensions inside football politics are already high, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin also absent from Sunday's World Cup final after reported disagreements with FIFA over disciplinary procedures, refereeing and match operations.
