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La Liga president Javier Tebas has grown weary of Gianni Infantino, declaring that the FIFA President's "time is up."
The World Cup reached a dramatic conclusion on Sunday, as Spain secured a narrow 1-0 victory over 10-man Argentina at MetLife Stadium. Ferran Torres came off the bench to score the decisive goal as the UEFA European champions claimed World Cup glory following Enzo Fernández's red card.
However, while Spain celebrates adding a second star above its badge, the head of its domestic league is far from satisfied. Amid the mounting controversy surrounding Infantino, La Liga president Tebas has demanded that the FIFA president resign from his position, via The Mirror US.
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Infantino has been entangled in numerous scandals throughout the tournament. Elite referee Omar Artan was refused entry to the U.S., with FIFA declining to intervene, while the Iranian soccer team was treated disgracefully as Infantino submitted to the Trump administration.
Trump and Infantino have cultivated an exceptionally close bond, one unlikely to be witnessed between a FIFA president and a world leader, reaching its peak with the remarkable inaugural presentation of the FIFA Peace Prize last December at the World Cup draw.
Then came the deeply contentious intervention by Trump with FIFA, which consented to suspend U.S. Men's National Team star Folarin Balogun's ban. Ultimately, Tebas has exhausted his patience, and when questioned by La Gazzetta dello Sport about whether Infantino should step down, he responded: "In my opinion, yes, I think his time is up."
The 56-year-old conceded that Infantino is likely to retain his position, however, as FIFA's election system is "rotten."
He added: "There's no opposition candidate, nobody wants to stand just to lose. He shouldn't stay, but the current state of affairs means he won't leave."
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Tebas went on: "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."
The Balogun controversy proved particularly explosive. The 25-year-old USMNT striker remarkably escaped a suspension for the Round of 16 game against Belgium, despite receiving a red card in the victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, following a direct intervention from Trump.
"The suspension of the American player's ban was absolutely serious," Tebas said. "They were lucky that Belgium eliminated the USA, because otherwise a case could have arisen that might have cost Infantino his job.
"Since Belgium won, they managed to bury the matter. But these things are just the tip of the iceberg."
