La Liga president Javier Tebas says ‘Infantino era is over’ at Fifa

Javier Tebas says Gianni Infantino’s position as Fifa president is untenable, claiming he is “destroying the very essence of football” while calling for reform at the highest levels of the game.

The La Liga president, who is a longstanding and vociferous critic of the current Fifa regime, said “the Infantino era is over” and called for control of the game to be expanded beyond the current “elite”.

While Tebas’s remarks will surprise no one within the game, they maintain the drumbeat of criticism directed against Infantino following his determination to continue in post despite his secret and subsequently quashed plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, Tebas repeated his call for Infantino to resign, an appeal first made after the World Cup but before the sell-off scandal. “For me, Gianni Infantino’s time has long since passed,” he said.

“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.”

Gianni Infantino has received the backing of Fifa in spite of Uefa’s threat to boycott all its tournaments. Photograph: Sam Corum/PA

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as untenable, the Norwegian FA has called for the president to stand down and a number of European associations have withdrawn letters endorsing Infantino for another term at the head of Fifa.

Uefa confirmed on Saturday 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 on Friday night that the woman received a six-figure sum after the alleged relationship, allegations Fifa dismissed as “categorically untrue”.

On Saturday night, Fifa published a statement accusing Infantino’s critics of attempting to remove him from office 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.

Infantino has also garnered support from prominent nations outside Europe, including the World Cup co-host Mexico and the finalists Argentina. Uefa say 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.