FIFA needs new direction, says La Liga chief Javier Tebas after Infantino plan withdrawal

Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, has called for Gianni Infantino to leave his position as FIFA president, saying the withdrawal of a controversial proposal involving the sale of stakes in FIFA competitions does not resolve the organisation’s wider governance crisis.

Tebas made the comments on Saturday in a post on his official X account, after FIFA withdrew the proposal following a wave of criticism.

“Infantino must not continue,” Tebas wrote. “The withdrawal by FIFA of its proposal on the privatisation of its competitions is good news. But it would be a huge mistake to believe that the governance problem has been solved by this.”

The La Liga president said football’s continental and national governing bodies, leagues and players should not treat the proposal’s removal as the end of the matter.

“They should not simply accept the withdrawal of this proposal and consider the issue closed,” he added. “The matter is much deeper than that.”

Tebas questioned whether football had already forgotten a series of other controversies and decisions involving FIFA and its leadership.

“Have we already forgotten the withdrawal of the red card following political intervention?” he asked. “The open investigation in the United States Congress, which requested Gianni Infantino’s appearance over serious allegations? The withdrawal of charges in historic corruption cases within FIFA? The shocking World Cup ticket prices? The unilateral decisions on the international match calendar, new competitions and tournament formats, adopted without a genuine process of dialogue and consensus with the affected parties?”

He argued that FIFA’s difficulties were not caused by one proposal alone, but by the way the organisation is run.

“The problem was never one single proposal,” Tebas said. “The problem is a governance model that concentrates power, reduces checks and balances, and marginalises the parties directly affected by its decisions.”

Tebas said FIFA required a change in leadership to restore confidence in the governing body and establish a different approach to decision-making.

“For all these reasons, I believe that Gianni Infantino should not remain at the head of FIFA,” he wrote. “Global football needs new leadership that modernises governance, restores institutional credibility and builds future decisions through consensus with the affected parties, after assessing their sporting, economic and social impact, rather than imposing them unilaterally.”

He concluded by warning that the proposal’s withdrawal addressed only one part of a much broader dispute.

“Removing one proposal does not erase everything that has happened,” Tebas said. “It is merely the tip of the iceberg.”

The criticism comes after FIFA abandoned its plan to pursue the privatisation of parts of its competitions amid intense opposition. Tebas believes the decision should prompt further scrutiny of FIFA’s governance rather than bring the controversy to a close.

His comments place renewed focus on Infantino’s leadership and on the relationship between FIFA and the leagues, federations and players affected by decisions concerning competitions, international scheduling and tournament structures.