The president of the Spanish football league, Javier Tebas, has accused FIFA of acting irresponsibly following the announcement of discussions regarding a possible sixty-four-team World Cup in twenty thirty. In a scathing interview published in an Italian sports daily, Tebas did not hold back his criticism of the global governing body. He asserted that FIFA president Gianni Infantino`s time at the helm is effectively over, describing the leadership election system as fundamentally flawed after a decade of continuous governance.
Lamenting the direction of global sports administration, Tebas emphasized that the football industry encompasses far more than just a single international tournament. He warned that governing officials are actively damaging a multi-billion-dollar industry that generates tens of thousands of jobs globally, all for a short-term event lasting a matter of weeks and involving only a minority of players. When Infantino first mentioned discussions about expanding the tournament format during the opening ceremony, domestic leagues across Europe immediately raised alarms over congested fixture calendars.
Tebas reiterated that domestic leagues remain the true lifeblood of the sport, keeping professional football alive on a daily basis. He called for fewer national team fixtures and robust protection for domestic football structures at every competitive level, criticizing international executives for making sweeping decisions without consulting league stakeholders. Al Jazeera and AFP reported that FIFA officials have not yet issued an official response to the sharp accusations leveled by the prominent La Liga executive.
