Javier Tebas questions decision to postpone one-match ban given to US striker Folarin Balogun
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| US President Donald Trump and Fifa president Gianni Infantino stand under confetti as players of Spain celebrate with the World Cup trophy after winning the 2026 final against Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday. (Will Oliver/EPA/BackpagePix) |
La Liga president Javier Tebas said Fifa president Gianni Infantino should resign, accusing the governing body of “destroying the football industry” by expanding international competitions at the expense of domestic leagues and clubs.
Tebas has repeatedly criticised Fifa over fixture congestion and plans to further enlarge the World Cup.
In an interview with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, when Tebas was asked if Infantino should quit, he said: “In my opinion, yes, I think his time is up.”
Infantino said in April that he would seek re-election for a fourth term as Fifa president, with the vote for the 2027-2031 cycle scheduled to take place in Morocco on March 18 next year.
Asked about growing criticism of Infantino’s leadership, Tebas said the Fifa president retained strong support among national federations despite concerns within the game.
“He shouldn’t stay, but the current state of affairs means he won’t leave,” Tebas said. “There’s no opposition candidate; no one wants to run to lose. This is the system, and it’s a system that’s flawed from the ground up.
“I’ve heard a lot of people against Infantino, who don’t agree with what he’s doing. They say it, but then they don’t do anything.”
Tebas also questioned Fifa’s decision to postpone the one-match ban given to US striker Folarin Balogun following a red card during the World Cup. The decision was made after the intervention of US President Donald Trump. Belgium beat the US 4-1 in the last 16.
“The suspension of the American player’s ban is an extremely serious matter. They were lucky that Belgium eliminated the US, because otherwise a case could have arisen that might have cost Infantino his job.
“Since Belgium won, they managed to bury the matter. But these things are just the tip of the iceberg.”
His comments come amid growing tensions within soccer’s governing structures.
They’re destroying the football industry, the one that generates tens of thousands of jobs for an event that lasts 40 days and only a minority of players attends.
— Javier Tebas
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin did not attend Sunday’s World Cup final following a series of disagreements between European soccer’s governing body and Fifa over disciplinary procedures, refereeing logistics and match operations, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
Tebas also criticised proposals to expand the men’s World Cup to 64 teams, after CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez renewed calls for Fifa to enlarge the centenary edition of the tournament in 2030.
Infantino has previously acknowledged that a 64-team format could be considered in the future.
Tebas said a further increase in the number of participating nations would come at the expense of domestic competitions and the wider football industry.
“Increasing the number of national teams makes no sense,” Tebas said.
“The football industry isn’t just the World Cup, which is the most important event. But not everything can revolve around the World Cup. It’s the national competitions that sustain this sport.
“They’re destroying the football industry, the one that generates tens of thousands of jobs for an event that lasts 40 days and only a minority of players attends.”
-- Karan Prashant Saxena, Reuters
