Javier Tebas says Gianni Infantino’s position as Fifa president is untenable, claiming he is “destroying the very essence of football” and calling for reform at the highest levels of the game.
But Javier Tebas, president of World Cup winners Spain’s LaLiga said Infantino was ‘destroying the very essence’ of football. He said: “For me Gianni Infantino's time has long since passed. “I'm not saying this because of recent events. I have noticed this style of management for a long time though everyone else seems to be discovering it only now. “Gianni Infantino is not someone who contributes to the growth of football. On the contrary his projects are destroying the very essence of the sport - the national leagues. “Football is not limited to the elite. For me the Infantino era is over. What remains to be seen is when that will take effect and how the succession will unfold. I hope it is not just a matter of swapping out some people for others, but of a genuine overhaul.”
Infantino is battling to stay in post despite an increasingly coordinated attempt by European football officials and others to unseat the 56-year-old Swiss. Uefa has made it clear they regard Infantino’s continued leadership of world football as untenable, the Norwegian FA has called for the president to stand down and a number of European associations have withdrawn letters endorsing Infantino for another term at the head of Fifa.
Infantino has faced widespread criticism over his failed plan to launch a FIFA spin-off company to run tournaments - including the World Cup - 20% of which would be sold off to private investors including one of US President Donald Trump ’s in-laws. The Swiss lawyer planned to run the sister company himself on a £22m-a-year salary. He scrapped it after details were leaked prompting UEFA - of which England is a member - and CONCACAF threatened to boycott the World Cup if it went ahead. Infantino last week apologised to FIFA staff blindsided by his deal in a bid to stay in office.
UEFA - which is threatening to boycott the World Cup unless Infantino steps down - said it gave the woman a ‘departure payment’ as well as picking up the tab for her Master of Business Administration degree after she left the organisation. Matters reportedly came to a head when UEFA’s then-president Michel Platini confronted Infantino over the allegations and the woman - who had been promoted from admin worker to manager - left. A FIFA spokesman said Infantino, a married dad-of-four, ‘strongly denies these allegations and they are categorically untrue’.