should resign as head of FIFA for 鈥渄estroying the football industry鈥� by expanding international competitions, La Liga president said Monday.
It is not the first time he has lashed out at Infantino over fixture congestion and for considering a proposal to expand the 2030 men’s World Cup from to 64.
鈥淚ncreasing the number of national teams makes no sense. The football industry isn鈥檛 just the World Cup, which is the most important event. But not everything can revolve around the World Cup,鈥� Tebas told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
鈥淚n my opinion, yes, I think his time is up,鈥� he said of Infantino. 鈥淗owever, he has the support of the system and the federations, so there鈥檚 not much more to add, is there? There鈥檚 no opposition candidate, nobody wants to stand just to lose. This is the system and it鈥檚 rotten at its core.
鈥淗e shouldn鈥檛 stay, but he won鈥檛 leave. I鈥檝e heard many people who are against Infantino. They say it, but then they do nothing. I don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 worse, the silence or the complicity, because those who stay silent are perfectly aware of the damage football is suffering.鈥�
South American soccer鈥檚 ruling body CONMEBOL has made an official proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams. The competition is already set to be the most sprawling edition with six host nations spread across three continents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 national competition that sustains this sport,” Tebas added. “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.鈥�
He also criticized world football鈥檚 governing body FIFA over the new implemented at the World Cup which ended Sunday, as well as the extended 27-minute halftime interval 鈥� rather than the standard 15 鈥� during the final that saw Spain defeat Argentina 1-0.
The hydration breaks midway through each half were introduced to help players deal with the in the United States, Canada and Mexico. But critics say they had unintended consequences, ruining the flow of the game and giving coaches a chance to tactically shift momentum in their team鈥檚 favor.
鈥淔IFA arranges things as it pleases, for what it wants, for its own interests 鈥� certainly not for football,鈥� Tebas said. 鈥淗ydration breaks are a lie. We have them in La Liga, but only when it鈥檚 genuinely hot. Here, the pitches in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta had air conditioning. It was a lie 鈥� and just a break for advertising.鈥�
Infantino announced in April that he would run for re-election for a fourth term as president. The vote for the 2027鈥�2031 period is scheduled for March 18 in Morocco.
___
AP soccer:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
