La Liga President Criticizes FIFA's 'Irresponsible' World Cup Expansion Plans

Italy. La Liga President Javier Tebas has strongly objected to discussions about expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, accusing FIFA of acting 'irresponsibly'.

In an interview with Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport published on Tuesday, Tebas also said that FIFA President Gianni Infantino's time was up.

Tebas also expressed dissatisfaction with the current system for electing FIFA leadership, calling it a 'fundamentally flawed' system. According to him, it is this system that has allowed Infantino to lead the highest body of world football for nearly a decade.

'The football industry is not just the World Cup, however important it may be,' Tebas said.

He added, 'They are destroying the entire football industry that creates thousands of jobs for a competition that lasts only 40 days and involves only a few players.'

Last June, at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup, Infantino had said that discussions were underway to expand the centenary edition of the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.

The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted mainly by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, while some matches will also be held in Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

'We have repeatedly expressed our concerns about the competition's schedule. But now they want to host a 64-team World Cup,' Tebas said.

Mentioning the importance of domestic leagues, he said, 'Domestic leagues have kept the sport alive.'

According to him, it is necessary to protect domestic football at all levels by reducing the number of national teams.

'We need fewer national teams and domestic football needs better protection at all levels. But they are not understanding this and are making irresponsible decisions,' Tebas alleged.

FIFA has not yet commented on the allegations made by La Liga President Tebas, when Al Jazeera requested a reaction.

Al Jazeera