La Liga President Teba calls for Infantino to resign over 64-team World Cup plan

La Liga president Javier Tebas has launched a blistering attack on FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino, calling for the Swiss administrator to step down and accusing world football’s governing body of “destroying the football industry”.

In an interview with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport published Tuesday, Tebas condemned proposals to expand the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64 teams — a move Infantino has said will be examined following the conclusion of the 2026 tournament. The 2026 edition, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, was itself the first to feature 48 teams after the competition had maintained a 32-team format since 1998.

“Increasing the number of national teams makes no sense,” Tebas said. “The football industry is not just the World Cup, which is the most important event. But not everything can revolve around the World Cup. It is national competitions that sustain this sport.”

Tebas argued that expanding the tournament further would come at the expense of domestic leagues, which he described as the backbone of the sport. “They are destroying the football industry — the one that generates tens of thousands of jobs — for an event that lasts 40 days and involves a minority of players,” he said. “We need fewer international matches and more protection for national football, at all levels. They don’t realise they are making irresponsible decisions.”

Criticism of calendar congestion and World Cup decisions

This is not the first time Tebas has clashed with Infantino over fixture congestion. “We have repeatedly expressed our concerns about the competition calendar,” Tebas said. “And now they want to organise a 64-team World Cup.”

The La Liga chief also took aim at several operational decisions during the recently concluded World Cup, which Spain won 1-0 against Argentina in Sunday’s final. He criticised the mandatory three-minute hydration breaks introduced for all matches, the extended 27-minute half-time interval during the final — more than double the standard 15 minutes — and what he described as political interference in disciplinary matters.

Tebas singled out the case of United States striker Folarin Balogun, whose one-match suspension was overturned by FIFA’s disciplinary committee following a phone call between Infantino and US President Donald Trump, allowing the player to feature in the US last-16 tie against Belgium. Belgium won the match, eliminating the US.

“The suspension of the American player’s ban was absolutely serious,” Tebas 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.”

On the hydration breaks, Tebas was equally dismissive: “Hydration breaks are a lie. We have them in La Liga, but only when it’s genuinely hot. Here, the pitches in Dallas, Los Angeles and Atlanta had air conditioning. I had to put on a sweater in the stands. It was a lie — just a break for advertising.”

“The system is rotten at its core”

When asked directly whether Infantino should leave his position, Tebas replied: “In my opinion, yes. I think his time is up.” However, he acknowledged that the 56-year-old Swiss is likely to remain in power.

“He has the support of the system and the federations,” Tebas said. “There’s no opposition candidate — nobody wants to stand just to lose. This is the system, and it’s rotten at its core.”

Tebas expressed frustration at the silence of those who share his concerns. “These past few days here in America, I’ve heard many people who are against Infantino, who disagree with what he’s doing,” he 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.”

Expansion proposal and Infantino’s future

The proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams was officially submitted by CONMEBOL, South American football’s governing body, in 2025. The 2030 tournament is already set to be the most sprawling edition in history, with six host nations spread across three continents — primarily Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina also hosting opening matches.

Infantino confirmed last week that the prospect of a further 16 nations taking part “will be examined and discussed”. He is expected to be re-elected for a fourth term at FIFA’s March congress. Alejandro Dominguez, the head of CONMEBOL and a FIFA vice-president, has suggested the expansion is all but assured.

“He shouldn’t stay, but he won’t leave,” Tebas concluded. “FIFA arranges things as it pleases, for what it wants, for its own interests — certainly not for football.”