October 17 – Outspoken LaLiga president Javier Tebas has called on Gianni Infantino to call off his pet project, the expanded Club World Cup, arguing that “it is not necessary for the players, nor for the clubs, nor for FIFA, and all it does is cause disorganisation.”
LaLiga recently joined forces with the European Leagues association and FIFPRO in launching a landmark legal complaint to the European Commission against FIFA, citing calendar overkill and the impact on players’ health.
During a speech at the European Clubs Union in Brussels, Tebas typically pulled no punches in condemning the 32-team Club World Cup scheduled for next summer in the USA, declaring that if FIFA uses its own funds for the competition, “it will be taking away from all those places where it claims to be helping.”
And in a direct missive to Infantino, Tebas charged: “President of FIFA, you know you don’t have the audiovisual rights sold for the budget you mentioned. You know you don’t have the sponsorships as budgeted, and that the leagues and the players’ union do not want this World Cup. Withdraw this World Cup now and let’s sit down to negotiate.
“Dialoguing and negotiating are different; negotiation ends with an agreement, and dialogue ends with nothing. We have been dialoguing with FIFA for years. I am sure we will reach agreements. The goals that you have for the football world are also our goals. We are not selfish. This is not solved with a Club World Cup.”
Commenting on the legal case with the European Commission, Tebas added: “This complaint aims to change the governance system of football in the world and in Europe.”
Reacting to Tebas’ remarks, the president of Major League Soccer, Don Garber, said he recognised the concern over the enlarged Club World Cup.
The new tournament comes after a season featuring an expanded Champions League and before an enlarged 48-team World Cup in 2026.
Garber spoke of his excitement at the chance for MLS teams to compete against the rest of the world but understood why there may be concern about fixture congestion when asked about his response to Tebas’ declaration.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of energy and a lot of momentum around building interest in the sport of soccer leading up to the World Cup and the Club World Cup is going to be one of those events, and I’m excited that two of my teams are going to be participating,” he told reporters at The Summit, part of Leaders Week in London.
“I will say, we all need to be mindful of the calendar, and I understand Javier’s views,” he added. “I think we’ve got to all work to see whether or not we can be a more engaged part of the decision-making process, and I would include that in the Club World Cup. We as a league are as mindful as everybody else about the toll on our players and all the various competitions they have to compete in.”
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