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La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down, accusing the world football governing body of taking decisions that are damaging the game and undermining domestic football competitions.
Speaking in an interview with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tebas criticised several FIFA decisions during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the introduction of mandatory hydration breaks, the extended half-time entertainment during the final, the postponement of United States striker Folarin Balogun’s suspension and proposals to expand future World Cups to 64 teams.
Asked whether Infantino should resign, Tebas replied: “In my opinion, yes, I think his time is up.” He argued that FIFA’s internal structure makes it difficult for any meaningful opposition to emerge against the current president.
“There’s no opposition candidate, nobody wants to stand just to lose,” Tebas said. “He shouldn’t stay, but the current state of affairs means he won’t leave.”
The La Liga chief said he encountered widespread dissatisfaction with Infantino’s leadership while attending the World Cup in the United States. According to him, many football stakeholders privately criticised FIFA’s direction but were unwilling to challenge it publicly.
“These past few days here in America, I’ve heard many people who are against Infantino, who disagree with what he’s doing,” Tebas said. “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.”
Tebas also condemned FIFA’s handling of Balogun’s suspension after the striker was cleared to feature in the United States’ Round of 16 clash against Belgium following intervention by US President Donald Trump. He described the development as one of the most troubling episodes of the tournament.
“The suspension of the American player’s ban was absolutely serious,” he said. “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.”
The controversy also drew criticism from UEFA, which reportedly described FIFA’s decision as “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.” The dispute contributed to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin’s decision to boycott the World Cup final.
Tebas further opposed proposals to increase the number of participating nations at future World Cups from 48 to 64, arguing that such a move would place even greater strain on domestic competitions, which he described as the foundation of the global football economy.
“Increasing the number of national teams makes no sense. The football industry isn’t just the World Cup,” he said. “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.”
He added that football needed fewer international fixtures and greater protection for domestic leagues, warning that FIFA’s growing calendar was becoming unsustainable.
Tebas also questioned FIFA’s justification for introducing mandatory hydration breaks during the tournament, insisting the stoppages were unnecessary in several venues and served commercial rather than sporting purposes.
“Hydration breaks are a lie. We have them in La Liga, but only when it’s genuinely hot,” he said. “Here, the pitches in Dallas, Los Angeles and Atlanta had air conditioning; I had to put on a jumper in the stands. It was a lie, a break for advertising.”
The La Liga president also criticised FIFA’s decision to extend the World Cup final half-time interval to more than 27 minutes to accommodate performances by Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber, saying it reflected a governing body prioritising commercial interests over football. He argued that such decisions illustrated a broader pattern of governance that increasingly ignored the concerns of leagues, clubs and the wider football community.
