Madrid — Javier Tebas, president of Spain’s La Liga, has called for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down, accusing him of damaging the football industry by prioritizing the expansion of international tournaments over domestic leagues and clubs.

In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Tebas, 63, expressed his belief that Infantino’s tenure should end, saying that the FIFA president’s time is up. Infantino, 56, announced in April his intention to seek a fourth term when FIFA holds its presidential election in Morocco in March 2027.

Tebas criticised the current governance of football’s world governing body, describing the system as fundamentally flawed and pointing out that despite widespread objections to Infantino’s policies, there is no opposition candidate willing to challenge him. “There’s no opposition candidate, no one wants to run to lose,” Tebas said, highlighting the lack of alternatives within FIFA.

Among Tebas’s concerns are increasing fixture congestion and plans to enlarge the World Cup, proposals he argues threaten the viability of domestic competitions, which he described as the backbone of the sport and its industry. He dismissed initiatives to expand the men’s World Cup to 64 teams—a proposal recently revived by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez ahead of the 2030 centenary tournament—as misguided and detrimental to football’s broader ecosystem. “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,” Tebas said.

The La Liga president also raised questions about FIFA’s handling of a disciplinary matter involving United States striker Folarin Balogun. Balogun received a red card during the World Cup, but the one-match suspension was reportedly postponed following intervention from then U.S. president Donald Trump. Tebas described the incident as “an extremely serious matter” and suggested that if the U.S. had progressed beyond the round of 16—where they lost 4-1 to Belgium—it could have jeopardized Infantino’s position.

Tebas’s remarks come amid growing tensions within football’s leadership. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, for example, notably did not attend the World Cup final on July 19, following disputes over disciplinary procedures, refereeing protocols, and match operations between UEFA and FIFA.

While Tebas acknowledges that Infantino maintains strong backing among national federations, he remains critical of the FIFA president’s overall direction. “He shouldn’t stay, but the current state of affairs means he won’t leave,” Tebas said, underscoring the enduring challenges facing football governance at the global level.