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.”
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to lose talented defender Michael Kayode to the Italian senior team, report has indicated.
Kayode has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League since last season. He joined Brentford from Fiorentina in 2025, and he has been a consistent performer ever since.
Last season, he featured in 37 games, contributing one goal and one assist. He was a solid rock at the back and became famous for his long throws, which consistently caused trouble for opponents and led to goals for his club.
However, Nigeria had taken notice of Kayode since his days at Fiorentina, and there have long been calls to draft him into the national team setup.
The obstacle, however, has been that the 22-year-old currently plays for the Italian youth setup. Although he has Nigerian roots, he is eligible for Italy because he was born there and obtained his citizenship when he turned 18.
Consequently, he has represented them at the Under-18, Under-19, and Under-21 levels. Still, there was hope that as long as he did not feature for the senior team, he would remain eligible to play for the Super Eagles.
Those hopes are now set to be dashed, as he has been called up to the Italian senior team for the upcoming international break.
They take on Belgium, Turkey, and France in their opening fixtures of the new UEFA Nations League, and if Kayode features in those games, under FIFA rules, he will no longer be eligible to play for Nigeria even if he later decides to switch allegiances.
According to Sport, Bernardo Silva is gradually losing his place at Real Madrid, having started only once in the last five La Liga matches.
In the last two La Liga rounds, Bernardo Silva featured for only 8 minutes: he did not play against Elche and came on as a late substitute against Atlético Madrid, providing an assist for Rüdiger’s goal. Meanwhile, Barcelona, who were close to signing him this summer, are leading La Liga and play a style that suits him better.
The 32-year-old Portuguese midfielder can negotiate with any club after his contract with Manchester City expires. Although he wanted to join Barcelona, his wage demands and insistence on being an undisputed starter failed to convince Flick, who could not guarantee him regular playing time given the fierce competition in Barcelona’s midfield.
A few days ago, Deco admitted that Bernardo was a candidate Barcelona considered this summer. The Barcelona sporting director said: “We have our own criteria, and he is not in the position we are looking for. Moreover, there are economic issues and playing time involved; he wants to play. If his opinion differs from ours, there’s nothing we can do.”
Bernardo Silva also attracted attention from Atlético Madrid, but ultimately chose to join Real Madrid. He started in the first two LaLiga matches against Espanyol and Real Sociedad, but his playing time significantly decreased before the international break, starting only one of the last five league matches—Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano. In the Champions League, he was unavailable due to suspension against Inter Milan.
Cole Palmer is set to withdraw from the England squad, with Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo also doubts to join up with Thomas Tuchel‘s camp.
Palmer, who was recalled by Tuchel last week after he was left out of England’s squad for the World Cup, is reportedly dealing with a small injury, though he completed Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford on Friday night.
The 24-year-old has featured in all five of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this term but struggled with injuries in a disrupted campaign last season, recently saying during a Twitch stream that he “had one leg for 10 months”.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick confirmed Rashford picked up an “issue” when during the 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday, with the forward substituted while appearing to be struggling with his hip – which was a persistent issue over the summer.
Midfielder Mainoo, who travelled to this summer’s World Cup but did not play a single minute of the tournament under Tuchel, was also substituted during the closing stages of the draw at Craven Cottage.
England will play four matches over the newly expanded three-week international break, kicking off against World Cup winners Spain at Wembley on Saturday 26 September. That is followed by trips to Czech Republic and Croatia, before concluding the set of Nations League games against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday 6 October.
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