The president of Spain’s top football league, Javier Tebas, has said Gianni Infantino is “destroying the very essence” of football and believes his time as Fifa president has come to an end.
Infantino has faced criticism following his failed plan to seek private investment in a company which would run Fifa’s competitions and sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
After fierce backlash, including a threat by Europe’s Uefa to boycott the World Cup, Fifa then revealed it “will not proceed” with the plans.
On Wednesday Infantino apologised to national associations over how the plan was developed, but several associations including Uefa, and Wales and England’s football associations, have called on Infantino to resign.
Tebas, who has been president of LaLiga since 2013, is the latest person to call for the Fifa president to resign and thinks his position has now become untenable.
Javier Tebas, president of Spanish soccer’s La Liga, has said Gianni Infantino’s time in Fifa is up. Credit: AP
Speaking to Le Monde, he said: “For me, Gianni Infantino’s time has long since passed.
“I’m not saying this because of recent events; I have noticed this style of management for a long time, though everyone else seems to be discovering it only now.
“Gianni Infantino is not someone who contributes to the growth of football. On the contrary, his projects are destroying the very essence of the sport: the national leagues.
“Football is not limited to the elite. For me, the Infantino era is over. What remains to be seen is when that will take effect and how the succession will unfold.
“I hope it is not just a matter of swapping out some people for others, but of a genuine overhaul.”
The pressure notched higher this week when Uefa said a “departure payment” was made to a female employee who is alleged to have been in a relationship with Infantino while he was general secretary of the organisation – Infantino denied the claims.
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Fifa hit out at Infantino’s critics and accused them of trying weaken his authority so he is removed from his role without a due re-election process, while Mexico and Argentina’s associations have come out in support of him.
A European threat to boycott the World Cup remains in place despite Infantino’s apology, with Tebas adding: “What is happening does not surprise me. What does surprise me is the reaction of many people who remained silent for years.
“This episode is only the tip of the iceberg of what has been going on within an institution, Fifa, but also more broadly in football, where there are no real governance policies. And the problem is not limited to one person; it is about an entire system.
“The old system can persist even when the people change. Let’s hope things truly change, that a new leader arrives, and that new governance is established at Fifa.”
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In a statement shared by Fifa on Saturday night, the global football association said: “Fifa will not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of the FIFA president that is inconsistent with Fifa’s statutes, democratic procedures and established governance framework.
“The Fifa president was democratically elected by Fifa’s member associations and continues to serve with their mandate.”
In a thinly veiled attack on Uefa, Fifa added: “It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its president.
“Those who do not have the support of Fifa’s member associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through Fifa’s established democratic processes.”
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