Javier Tebas demands the departure of Gianni Infantino after the abandonment of the FIFA privatization project.

The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, sharply criticized Gianni Infantino following the abandonment of the privatization project for part of FIFA’s commercial activities. The Spanish leader believes that this reversal does not address the governance problems of the global body and openly calls for the departure of its president. In a message posted on the social network X, Tebas did not mince words: “Infantino must not continue.”

While he welcomed the abandonment of the project, he warned that this decision should not overshadow the structural difficulties of FIFA. “The withdrawal of the privatization project for FIFA competitions is good news. But it would be a serious mistake to think that this resolves the governance issue. The confederations, federations, leagues, and players must not consider this withdrawal as the end of the matter. The problem runs much deeper,” he stated.

A project finally abandoned

On Saturday, Gianni Infantino confirmed that FIFA was abandoning its project to create a new company tasked with managing its commercial rights and organizing its competitions, part of which would have been opened to private investors. This initiative faced strong opposition within global football. UEFA notably threatened to boycott competitions organized by FIFA if the project were to be implemented.

Several other confederations also opposed this reform, depriving Gianni Infantino of the necessary majority to push it through. Faced with this growing dissent, the president of FIFA was ultimately forced to abandon his project.