Gianni Infantino urged to resign as FIFA president after 'destroying football' at World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been urged to resign from his position at the governing body.

Infantino has been a polarising figure since he was first elected FIFA President in February 2016.

Since then, he has been involved in delivering three World Cups – in Russia, Qatar and North America – while introducing several opinion-dividing changes to the game, such as the introduction of hydration breaks during the 2026 World Cup.

The Swiss-Italian also came in for criticism for his involvement in the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban, which allowed him to play for the USA against Belgium in the round of 16 despite the forward being sent off in the previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

US President Donald Trump – a close ally of Infantino – later admitted that he called the FIFA president to recommend the ban be overturned while maintaining: “I didn’t tell him [Gianni Infantino] what to do. I can’t tell him what to do.”

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UEFA – European football’s governing body – released a scathing statement accusing FIFA of “crossing a red line” by making an “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” decision, with the body’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, choosing to boycott Sunday’s World Cup final in protest against FIFA.

UEFA and FIFA’s relationship is said to be under strain, with the European organisation not pleased with how the global body dealt with a number of issues during the World Cup, such as the treatment of the Iran national team and the refusal to allow Somali referee Omar Artan to enter the country.

La Liga chief calls for Gianni Infantino's resignation

Now, La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed FIFA makes decisions for “its own interests”, urging Infantino to resign after “destroying the football industry”.

Speaking to Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, he said: “In my opinion, yes, I think his [Infantino’s] time is up.

“However, he has the support of the system, of the federations, so there's not much more to add, is there? There's no opposition candidate; nobody wants to stand just to lose. This is the system, and it's a system rotten at its core.

“He shouldn't stay, but the current state of affairs means he won't leave. These past few days here in America, I've heard many people who are against Infantino, who disagree with what he's doing. They say it, but then they do nothing. I don't know what's worse, the silence or the complicity, because those who stay silent are perfectly aware of the damage football is suffering.”

He then offered his thoughts on the implementation of hydration breaks, explaining how they were not needed for many World Cup matches.

“FIFA arranges things as it pleases, for what it wants, for its own interests, certainly not for football,” Tebas added. “So, if they need a 27-minute half-time break, they'll have it.

“Hydration breaks are a lie. We have them in La Liga, but only when it's genuinely hot. Here, the pitches in Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta had air conditioning; I had to put on a jumper in the stands. It was a lie, a break for advertising. And then there was the Balogun case.”

Despite the criticism, there is nothing to suggest Infantino will give up his job, and his fourth term as president is set to run until 2027 before an election is held at the FIFA Congress in the same year.