Why Infantino should step down as FIFA President –La Liga President
La Liga president Javier Tebas has called on Gianni Infantino to step down as the president of FIFA, 48 hours after the 2026 World Cup final.
Tebas slammed Infantino for the World Cup hydration breaks, the final’s lengthy half-time interval, and Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension.
When asked if Infantino should quit, Tebas said: “In my opinion, yes, I think his time is up.
“Hydration breaks are a lie. We have them in La Liga, but only when it’s genuinely hot.
“Here, the pitches in Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta had air conditioning; I had to put on a jumper in the stands. It was a lie, a break for advertising.
“It’s proof that we are governed by an institution that does and decides what it wants, when it wants, following only its own interests without considering the rest of football. And in many cases, it acts to the detriment of football.”
He was also critical of Fifa’s election system, describing it as rotten to the core.
Tebas continued: “There’s no opposition candidate, nobody wants to stand just to lose. He shouldn’t stay, but the current state of affairs means he won’t leave.
“These past few days here in America, I’ve heard many people who are against Infantino, who disagree with what he’s doing.
“They say it, but then they do nothing. I don’t know what’s worse, the silence or the complicity, because those who stay silent are perfectly aware of the damage football is suffering.”
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Tebas revealed that Balogun’s red suspension could have cost Infantino his job whole also disagreeing with the decision to expand the World Cup to 64 teams.
He concluded: “The suspension of the American player’s ban was absolutely serious. They were lucky that Belgium eliminated the USA, 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.”
“Increasing the number of national teams makes no sense. The football industry isn’t just the World Cup. Not everything can revolve around the World Cup.
“It’s the national competitions that sustain this sport. They are destroying the football industry, which generates tens of thousands of jobs, for an event that lasts 40 days and involves a minority of players.
“Are the best players there? Clearly, but they are also in our leagues. We need fewer international matches and more protection for national football, at all levels. They don’t realise they are making irresponsible decisions.”
Infantino is expected to be re-elected at Fifa’s March congress in Morocco.
He is seeking re-election for a fourth term after assuming office in 2016, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
More than 200 of Fifa’s 211 member associations have already endorsed Gianni Infantino for a fourth term as president.
