Tebas calls Infantino's World Cup defence 'pathetic' as FIFA president hits back at critics
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has branded a social media post by FIFA president Gianni Infantino 'pathetic', after Infantino dismissed critics of the 2026 World Cup as 'consumed by hatred'.
Infantino's social media broadside
A week after Spain defeated Argentina in the final of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino took to Instagram to deliver a sweeping rebuttal to those who had criticised the tournament. He described the event, held across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, as having 'zero incidents, zero hostility and zero violence', with seven million people from 200 countries attending. Infantino directed his sharpest words at journalists and detractors, writing that they were 'so consumed by hatred and criticism that you missed it all'.
To those who, behind their pens and papers, behind their screens, spread hatred and false rumours, I want to tell you that, while you stay behind, we at FIFA are on the front line organising, working hard and delivering the best show in the world. While you divide, we unite.
He also pointed to the participation of Iran's national team, which entered the United States without incident despite ongoing hostilities between the two countries, as evidence of football's unifying power. Infantino argued that the world 'needs love, not hatred; tolerance, not division; celebration, not mourning'.
Tebas fires back
Javier Tebas, president of Spain's LaLiga, responded within hours on X, calling Infantino's message 'pathetic'. Tebas insisted that demanding transparency from an institution like FIFA is not an act of hatred but an obligation. He questioned the timing and defensive tone of Infantino's post.
No one disputes that football is emotion and unity. But transparency, good governance and accountability are never hatred; they are an obligation. Strong institutions do not discredit those who ask questions, they answer the questions.
Tebas went further, posing a series of pointed questions to the FIFA president. 'When a leader dedicates an entire message to disqualifying those who exercise legitimate scrutiny, it is inevitable to ask... why precisely now? Is there something that explains such a defensive tone? Is something happening that we don't know about?' he wrote.
The controversies Infantino sidestepped
Infantino's post did not directly address several specific controversies that dogged the tournament. The Iranian delegation had been sharply critical of FIFA for allowing US authorities to impose restrictions that required the team to enter and leave the country on the same day as their matches. The Somali referee designated for the World Cup, Omar Artan, was barred from entering the United States, a point Infantino omitted.
The most contentious episode involved US forward Folarin Balogun. A red card that would have ruled him out of the round-of-16 match against Belgium was rescinded after a phone call from US President Donald Trump. Infantino referred only obliquely to officiating disputes, calling it 'curious' that criticism came from countries where similar practices are 'habitual and widely accepted'.
Potentially erroneous red or yellow cards, or subsequent decisions not to sanction players in certain situations, are habitual and widely accepted in some places.
A pattern of institutional tension
The exchange is the latest flashpoint between two of football's most powerful administrators. Tebas has been a persistent critic of Infantino's FIFA, frequently challenging its governance and the expansion of its competitions. Infantino's Instagram post, which urged critics to 'take a moment to reflect, meditate, pray or watch a football match', was widely interpreted in Spanish media as a direct response to months of scrutiny over the tournament's organisation, visa policies and disciplinary decisions. The World Cup concluded on 19 July 2026 with Spain's victory over Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
