La Liga President Calls for FIFA Boss Gianni Infantino to Step Down
La Liga president Javier Tebas has called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down, saying the world football governing body is “destroying the football industry”.
Speaking to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tebas said he believes Infantino’s time as FIFA president is over.
“In my opinion, yes, I think his time is up,” Tebas said when asked if Infantino should resign.
However, he admitted that Infantino is likely to remain in office because he has the support of many national football associations.
Tebas accused FIFA of making decisions that are harming domestic football. He criticised the introduction of mandatory hydration breaks at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the longer half-time show in the final, and the idea of expanding the tournament to 64 teams in the future.
He argued that football should not focus only on the World Cup.
“The football industry is not just the World Cup,” Tebas said.
“It’s the national leagues that keep football alive. They are damaging the football industry, which provides thousands of jobs, for a tournament that lasts only 40 days.”
Tebas also questioned FIFA’s decision to delay a suspension for United States striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. He claimed the matter could have become a much bigger issue if the USA had remained in the competition.
The UEFA president, Aleksander Čeferin, had earlier criticised FIFA’s handling of the Balogun case, calling it “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
Tebas also claimed the mandatory hydration breaks were unnecessary in many stadiums because they were fitted with cooling systems. He suggested the breaks were mainly used to allow more television advertising.
“Hydration breaks are a lie,” he said.
“We only use them in La Liga when it is genuinely hot. FIFA does what it wants for its own interests, not for the good of football.”
The 2026 World Cup final also featured a 27-minute half-time show with performances by international music stars, much longer than the traditional 15-minute break. Tebas said this was another example of FIFA putting commercial interests ahead of the game.
Despite the criticism, Gianni Infantino is widely expected to seek a fourth term as FIFA president at the organisation’s congress next March.
