La Liga chief urges FIFA president Infantino to step down
MADRID: La Liga President Javier Tebas has called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to step down, accusing world football’s governing body of damaging the sport through controversial decisions and expanding its control over the global football calendar.
In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Tebas said he believed Infantino’s leadership had reached its limit and claimed FIFA’s current direction was harming domestic football competitions around the world.
The Spanish league chief argued that FIFA was placing too much emphasis on the FIFA World Cup while ignoring the importance of national leagues, which he said provide the foundation of professional football and support thousands of jobs.
Tebas criticised proposals to further expand the World Cup, including discussions about increasing the tournament to 64 teams. He said such plans would place unnecessary pressure on players and weaken domestic competitions.
He also questioned FIFA’s decision to introduce mandatory hydration breaks during World Cup matches regardless of weather conditions. According to Tebas, the policy was not always necessary and appeared to benefit commercial broadcasting rather than player welfare.
The La Liga president also criticised the unusually long half-time show during the World Cup final, saying football should not be altered to accommodate entertainment and commercial interests.
Tebas further referred to the controversy surrounding United States forward Folarin Balogun, whose suspension was lifted before a knockout match. He suggested the incident raised serious concerns about FIFA’s decision-making process and governance.
He claimed many people within international football privately disagreed with FIFA’s leadership but were unwilling to speak publicly because of the organisation’s political structure.
Tebas maintained that football’s future depends on protecting domestic leagues, reducing the growing number of international matches and ensuring that decisions are made in the best interests of the sport rather than commercial considerations
