Thèbes sur Infantino et la FIFA: "Je pense que son temps est terminé; c'est le système et il est pourri depuis le noyau"

Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has openly criticized Gianni Infantino, head of FIFA, stating that his time in office is over due to the organization’s damaging influence on football. In a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tebas accused FIFA of destroying the football industry through its expansionist policies, particularly the proposed increase in the number of teams for the 2030 World Cup. This is not the first time Tebas has taken issue with Infantino's leadership. He has previously condemned the overcrowding of the international calendar and the push to expand the men’s World Cup from 48 to 64 teams. “Increasing the number of national teams makes no sense,” Tebas stated. “Football is not just the World Cup, which is the most important event. But not everything should revolve around the World Cup.” Tebas went further, suggesting that Infantino’s tenure is nearing its end. “In my opinion, yes, I believe his time has ended,” he said. However, he acknowledged that Infantino enjoys support from within the system and from the federations, making it difficult to challenge him directly. “There is no opposition candidate, nobody wants to run just to lose. This is the system, and it is rotten from its core.” He also expressed frustration over the lack of action from those who publicly oppose Infantino. “Many people are against Infantino, they say so, but then do nothing. I don’t know which is worse, silence or complicity, because those who remain silent are fully aware of the damage being done to football.” The controversy extends beyond the World Cup proposal. The CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, has officially proposed expanding the 2030 World Cup to include 64 teams. This edition is already set to be the largest in history, with six host nations spread across three continents. “It is the national league that sustains this sport,” Tebas added. “They are destroying the football industry, which generates tens of thousands of jobs, for an event lasting 40 days involving only a minority of players.” Tebas also criticized FIFA for introducing new hydration breaks during matches and for extending halftime pauses to 27 minutes instead of the usual 15. These changes were introduced to help players cope with the heat in the United States, Canada, and Mexico during the recently concluded World Cup. Critics argue that these interruptions disrupted the flow of play and gave coaches opportunities to adjust tactics mid-game. “FIFA organizes things as it pleases, for what it wants, for its own interests, certainly not for football,” Tebas said. “Hydration breaks are a lie. We have them in LaLiga, but only when the weather is really hot. Here, the stadiums in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta had air conditioning. It was a lie, and just a break for advertising.” Infantino announced in April that he will seek re-election for a fourth term as FIFA president. The vote for the 2027–2031 term is scheduled for March 18 in Morocco.