Sports
La Liga Boss Wants FIFA President To Step Down
La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for Fifa president Gianni Infantino to step down, claiming the world governing body is “destroying the football industry”.
In an interview with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, external, the head of the Spanish league also criticised World Cup hydration breaks, the final’s lengthy half-time interval, the postponement of a suspension for United States striker Folarin Balogun, and the future possibility of a 64-team summer tournament.
When asked if Infantino should quit, Tebas said: “In my opinion, yes, I think his time is up.”
However, he stated that the 56-year-old has the support of national federations, and claimed Fifa’s election system is “rotten at its core”.
“There’s no opposition candidate, nobody wants to stand just to lose,” Tebas said.
“He shouldn’t stay, but the current state of affairs means he won’t leave.”
The head of Spain’s top flight was in the US to see his country win the 2026 World Cup.
“These past few days here in America, I’ve heard many people who are against Infantino, who disagree with what he’s doing,” Tebas 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.”
Infantino is expected to be re-elected for a fourth term at Fifa’s March congress, although Tebas believes Infantino could have been brought down as a consequence of his involvement in the case around Balogun.
The 25-year-old US player escaped a suspension for his side’s last-16 tie with Belgium following an intervention from US President Donald Trump.
“The suspension of the American player’s ban was absolutely serious. They were lucky that Belgium eliminated the USA, because otherwise a case could have arisen that might have cost Infantino his job,” Tebas said.
“Since Belgium won, they managed to bury the matter. But these things are just the tip of the iceberg.”
European football’s governing body Uefa criticised Fifa’s decision at the time, calling it “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”, and the decision was a factor in the organisation’s president Aleksander Ceferin not attending the World Cup final.
Infantino opened the door to a 64-team global tournament during this year’s event, but Tebas argued that “not everything can revolve around the World Cup”.
“Increasing the number of national teams makes no sense. The football industry isn’t just the World Cup,” Tebas said.
“It’s the national competitions that sustain this sport. 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.
“Are the best players there? Clearly, but they are also in our leagues. We need fewer international matches and more protection for national football, at all levels. They don’t realise they are making irresponsible decisions.”
Fifa brought in mandatory three-minute hydration breaks for the World Cup, regardless of conditions, for all matches played at stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The governing body said they were brought in as a commitment to player welfare, but critics have pointed to broadcasters using the breaks as a way to cash in with commercials.
Meanwhile pop music giants Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber were among the acts to perform in the World Cup final half-time show, which extended the usual 15-minute half-time break to 27 minutes 22 seconds.
“Fifa arranges things as it pleases, for what it wants, for its own interests, certainly not for football,” said Tebas. “So, if they need a 27-minute half-time break, they’ll have it.
“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, Atlanta had air conditioning; I had to put on a jumper in the stands. It was a lie, a break for advertising.
“It’s proof that we are governed by an institution that does and decides what it wants, when it wants, following only its own interests without considering the rest of football. And in many cases, it acts to the detriment of football.”
Italian media outlet football-italia reports that Jesus has approved Napoli as a potential next destination, but Napoli must first sell Lukaku, and also offload Lorenzo-Luca or Noah-Lang, before they can make an official offer to Arsenal and the Brazilian striker.
Napoli currently has three senior center-forwards, but as it stands, only Højlund is confirmed to remain until the end of the summer window.
Lukaku is close to leaving, with Fenerbahçe and MLS teams interested in him. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Napoli has lowered their initial €12 million asking price for the 33-year-old, and may accept offers between €7 million and €8 million. Lukaku is Belgium’s all-time leading scorer.
On the other hand, Lorenzo-Luca failed to prove himself after joining from Udinese last summer, and his loan spell at Nottingham Forest in the second half of the 2025-26 season was a disaster – he was dropped from the first team after only 4 Premier League appearances. His future at the Maradona Stadium is also bleak.
This has led Napoli to search for a new center-forward to rotate with and compete for Højlund’s starting spot.
With his contract with Arsenal entering its final year, and his pecking order at the Emirates Stadium falling further each summer, Jesus has become a hot target for Napoli.
Jesus shares agent Giovanni Branchini with Napoli coach Allegri, who recently appeared at Napoli’s pre-season training camp.
According to the latest news from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Jesus has approved Napoli as a potential next destination, but has not yet received an official offer from the club. Napoli still needs to first offload Lukaku, and also clear out Luca or Noah-Lang, to free up the necessary budget and squad space.
Messi’s mother, Celia Cuccittini, broke her silence for the first time after the death of her husband, Jorge Messi, sharing a message filled with grief through a journalist.
According to La Capital, the message was read by journalist Marina Calabró on the Argentine América TV program with Celia’s permission. In the message sent to the journalist, Celia wrote: “I only pray to God to help me face all this as best I can.”
Sky News understands a consortium including the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is closing in on a deal to buy a roughly one-third stake in Liverpool.
It was gathered that Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the Anfield club’s controlling shareholder since 2010, is preparing to make an announcement about a transaction as soon as this week.
The deal will see Mr Bezos participate in an investor group alongside Eduardo Saverin, one of the co-founders of the social network Facebook.
The syndicate is led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal and until recently a shareholder in Championship club Queens Park Rangers.
One source indicated that an announcement was expected in the coming days, although they cautioned that it could slip into next week.
If completed, the deal would install a trio of the world’s wealthiest individuals as co-owners of the Reds, one of the most successful teams in the history of English football.
Mr Bezos alone has a fortune estimated by Forbes at over £207bn ($280bn), while Mr Saverin is said to be worth over £23.7bn ($32bn).
Their investment in Liverpool will reportedly value the club at £4.4bn ($6bn), making it one of the sport’s richest-ever deals.
While Mr Bezos has not previously been linked to deals in football, his prospective involvement in the Liverpool FC consortium underlines the extent to which sport is now viewed by wealthy investors as an asset class in its own right.
Mr Saverin, who is 44 years old, was part of a consortium which assembled an unsuccessful takeover bid for Chelsea FC during the 2022 auction triggered by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
One insider said the deal was now expected to be slightly larger than previously thought, potentially involving a stake of over 30 per cent.
Nevertheless, if its valuation hits £4.4bn ($6bn), the deal will reinforce the huge financial success that FSG has enjoyed during its 16 years as the club’s owner.
The Boston Red Sox owner acquired Liverpool for just £300m with the club in a troubled state financially.
The arrival of such a powerful consortium will fuel expectations that its members will ultimately seek outright control of the Reds.
A spokesperson for FSG said last month: “An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club.”
The last time a stake in Liverpool changed hands was in 2023, when Dynasty Equity bought a small interest valuing it at more than £3.3bn ($4.5bn).
-
Health & Wellness12 months agoPresident Tinubu Directs Cut in Dialysis Cost from ₦50,000 to ₦12,000
-
News1 year agoPICTURE: In Lagos Couple Sentenced to 22½ Years for Cannabis Trafficking
-
Trending News12 months agoNELFUND Disburses ₦86bn To 449,000 Beneficiaries
-
Business5 months agoDangote Refinery Reduces Petrol Gantry Price To ₦1,200 Per Litre
-
International News4 months agoIndian Police Arrest Nigerian Over ₦290m Drug Haul
-
Business5 months agoAfter Plea Bargain, Court Discharges Stella Oduah of ₦2.5bn Fraud
-
Business2 years agoHeritage Bank Customers’ Path to Securing ₦5m Insured Funds: A Step-By-Step Guide by NDIC”
-
Business2 years ago
Dangote; We Did Not Fix ₦600/Litre Petrol Price