Tebas calls for FIFA accountability after commercial plan backlash

Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, has intensified his criticism of FIFA, saying the concealment of major decisions from football’s governing bodies and representatives around the world represents a “very serious collapse in institutional governance”.

Writing on X on Friday, Tebas said what he called the “Rabat apology” was not an answer to the crisis currently engulfing FIFA. He argued that the dispute went well beyond a failure of communication and demanded that those responsible for the decisions be identified and held accountable.

The controversy began when FIFA announced, after the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a proposal to sell a 20% stake in FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). The new subsidiary was intended to manage FIFA’s commercial operations and events, including the World Cup.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino later withdrew the proposal following a major international backlash.

Tebas said acknowledging that information had been withheld could not bring the matter to an end simply through an apology. He insisted that responsibility for the process had to be established.

“It is not enough to ask for forgiveness,” the president of La Liga said, calling for those who decided to act in that way to be named and held responsible. He added that the person who led and directly supervised the process could not be exempted from accountability, in an apparent reference to Infantino.

Tebas also revived concerns over the case involving United States forward Folarin Balogun, whose suspension was lifted during the World Cup after political pressure. United States president Donald Trump publicly acknowledged that pressure had been applied to allow Balogun to play in the next match, against Belgium in the last 16.

The La Liga chief described the incident as “unacceptable political interference in the independence of football’s disciplinary system”. He also criticised Infantino’s explanations of the case, saying they were unconvincing.

Tebas further questioned recent statements of support for Infantino from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Argentine Football Association and several other national football associations.

In his view, those declarations would not help resolve the dispute. Instead, he said, they showed that “the real problem in the governance of world football lies in the system itself”.

Rabat meeting

Tebas’s comments followed a FIFA meeting held in Rabat, Morocco, this week, amid growing criticism of Infantino over the proposed commercial company.

The La Liga president said the Rabat gathering should not become a “ceremony to absolve” those responsible for the crisis. He argued that the events surrounding the FFE proposal should instead represent “a turning point” in the way world football is administered.

His latest intervention adds to a series of criticisms directed at FIFA’s leadership in recent weeks. Tebas concluded by saying the current system faced problems involving transparency, independence and the concentration of power.

The dispute has also taken place alongside public backing for Infantino from major football organisations, including CAF and the Argentine Football Association, despite the continuing debate over the proposed structure of FIFA’s commercial operations and the handling of disciplinary decisions.