Criticism of La Liga towards FIFA
The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, considered on Tuesday that Gianni Infantino should resign as president of FIFA. According to Tebas, the Swiss leader is “destroying the football industry” by expanding international competitions. It is not the first time that Tebas criticizes Infantino for the congestion of the calendar and for evaluating the possibility of expanding the 2030 men’s World Cup from 48 to 64 teams.
“Increasing the number of teams does not make sense. The football industry is not just the World Cup, which is the most important event. But not everything can revolve around the World Cup,” Tebas told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Regarding Infantino’s continuity, he was forceful:
“In my opinion, yes, I think his time is up. However, he has the support of the system and the federations, so there is not much more to add. This is the system and it is rotten from the roots.”
CONMEBOL presented an official proposal for the 2030 World Cup, which will already be the largest with six host countries on three continents, to include 64 teams. Tebas insisted that the priority must be different:
“It is the national competition that sustains this sport. They are destroying the football industry, which generates tens of thousands of jobs, for an event that lasts 40 days and in which a minority of players participate.”
The Spanish leader also attacked the hydration breaks implemented in the recent World Cup. Although they were introduced to mitigate the heat at venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico, critics point out that they broke the rhythm of the game and allowed tactical adjustments. Thebes was direct:
“Hydration breaks are a lie. We have them in La Liga, but only when it’s really hot. Here, the fields in Dallas, Los Angeles and Atlanta had air conditioning. It was a publicity break.”
Infantino already announced his candidacy for a fourth term in April. Voting for the period 2027–2031 will take place on March 18 in Morocco.
