La Liga president Tebas says 'Infantino era is over' in Le Monde interview

La Liga president Javier Tebas told French newspaper Le Monde on 9 August 2026 that "the Infantino era is over" and urged substantive reform of football governance at the game's highest levels.

Tebas, a long-standing critic of the Fifa president, repeated his earlier call for Gianni Infantino to resign and framed his remarks around concerns about recent and longstanding management decisions. He referenced Infantino’s determination to continue in office despite controversy over secret and subsequently quashed plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. Tebas said his critique predates those revelations and insisted change must extend beyond replacing individuals.

"For me, Gianni Infantino’s time has long since passed," Tebas told Le Monde. "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." He added: "I hope it is not just a matter of swapping out some people for others, but of a genuine overhaul."

The article says 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 signalled that it regards Infantino’s continued leadership as untenable, the Norwegian FA has called for him to stand down, and a number of European associations have withdrawn letters endorsing him for another term.

Uefa confirmed that a "departure payment" had been made to a female employee who is alleged to have been in a relationship with Infantino while he was the organisation’s general secretary more than a decade ago. The Daily Telegraph reported that the woman received a six-figure sum; Fifa dismissed those allegations as "categorically untrue".

Fifa published a statement accusing Infantino’s critics of seeking to remove him before the presidential election next March: "Those who do not have the support of Fifa’s member associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through Fifa’s established democratic processes," the statement read. The organisation has also retained backing from prominent nations outside Europe, including Mexico and Argentina.

Uefa has said a proposed boycott of all Fifa tournaments remains in prospect, with the women’s Under-20 World Cup due to start in Poland on 5 September.