Why now? Tebas’s harsh response to Infantino.

A new front in the conflict between Spanish league president Javier Tebas and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has emerged after the former responded with a harsh tone and harsh criticism to the latter’s lengthy statement on his Instagram page, describing it as “pathetic” and questioning the real motives behind the defensive timing of the message.

Last Monday, Infantino posted a lengthy 15-slide message on his personal Instagram account and FIFA’s official account, in which he strongly defended the organization of the World Cup, defended established refereeing standards and attacked what he described as “those who spread hate and fake news”, stressing that FIFA is best at organizing and criticizing him.

But Tebas’ response was swift and harsh from his official page, where he began by saying: “Today, Gianni Infantino wrote a pathetic message on his and FIFA’s Instagram account,” before questioning the content and timing of the International Federation president’s post.

“No one denies that football is about passion and unity, but transparency, good governance and accountability are never hate, they are a duty. Strong institutions don’t question the credibility of those who ask questions, they answer.”

Tebas was not satisfied with this, but went further in his criticism, sending a direct message to Infantino, saying: “An idea, Jani. when a leader devotes an entire message to discrediting legitimate watchdogs, it’s natural to ask…why now? Is there something that explains this defensive tone?’ The hidden reasons for the desperate defense of the FIFA president.

The escalation is the latest in a series of recurring disputes between Tebas and Infantino, which often revolve around the governance and transparency of world soccer governance, the organization of international tournaments and the battle for influence between European soccer institutions and FIFA.