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The president of the Spanish league rejected FIFA’s proposal for the World Cup
Spanish league president Javier Tebas has confirmed that FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been threatened with losing his post during the 2026 World Cup.
Tebas’s comments came amid a major controversy ahead of the round of 16 clash between the USA and Belgium after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee decided to suspend the suspension of USA striker Folarin Balogun, albeit for 12 months, allowing him to take part in the games against Hergovene. 32.
US President Donald Trump intervened in the case with a phone call to Infantino before the International Federation’s Disciplinary Committee reversed its decision, making the player available to coach Mauricio Pochettino.
However, the American team lost 1-4 to Belgium, ending their campaign in the tournament.
Tebas said in his statements to the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport “For an American player, the suspension of the penalty was a very serious matter. They were lucky that Belgium ruled out the USA, because if it had been the other way around, there would have been an incident that could have cost Infantino his job.”
Infantino was under additional pressure after filing a formal complaint with the International Olympic Committee, accusing him of violating the principle of political neutrality due to his relationship with Trump.
However, the president of FIFA, who was also a member of the International Olympic Committee for 6 years, will not face any sanctions based on this complaint.
However, Tebas believes that the pressure on Infantino is increasing as his time at the helm of the International Federation comes to an end.
He said in this regard: “In my opinion, yes, I think his time has passed, there is no opposition candidate, because no one wants to run only to lose, he should not continue, but the current situation means that he will not leave.”
Was 64 elected?
The Spanish league president also criticized FIFA’s proposal to increase the number of teams participating in the 2030 World Cup to 64, a proposal that Infantino and FIFA vice-president Alejandro Dominguez are willing to explore.
“Increasing the number of teams makes no sense,” Tebas explained. “The football industry is not limited to the World Cup, but mainly depends on local competitions that sustain the game. They are destroying an industry that provides tens of thousands of jobs for a tournament that lasts only 40 days and has a limited number of players.”
He continued. “The best players are in the World Cup, but they also play in our leagues. We need less international matches and more protection for domestic football at all levels. Unfortunately, they don’t realize that they are making irresponsible decisions.”
Notably, the adoption of the 64-team system would result in 16 groups, each containing 4 teams, with the third-placed team relegating itself to the Round of 32.
After the 2026 edition witnessed a record 104 matches, that number will rise to 128 if FIFA agrees to expand the tournament.
