Spain: LaLiga president slams FIFA

Two days after Spain's victory in the 2026 World Cup final, LaLiga president Javier Tebas gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

It was an opportunity for the Spanish football chief to voice a scathing critique of FIFA and its boss, Gianni Infantino. "FIFA organizes things however it wants, for its own interests, not for football. So if they need a 27-minute halftime, they just make it happen. The hydration breaks are a joke. We have them in LaLiga, but only when it's really hot. Here, in the stadiums of Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, there was air conditioning—I had to put on a sweater in the stands. It was a farce, just a commercial break. And then there was the Balogun case," he said.

Tebas is therefore demanding Infantino's resignation, though he harbors no illusions: "In my opinion, yes, I think his time is up. However, he has the backing of the system, of the federations, so there isn't much more to say, is there? There is no opposition candidate, nobody wants to run just to lose. This is the system, and it's rotten to the core. He shouldn't stay, but the current situation means he won't leave. (...) I don't know what's worse, the silence or the complicity, because those who stay silent are fully aware of the damage being done to football."

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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