Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, did not let the Balogun case go unnoticed, issuing harsh criticism following the de-penalization of the American forward for the round of 16 World Cup match against Belgium, which marked the end of the United States’ run in the tournament. “The forgiveness of the sanction imposed on the American player Balogun is not a joke or an isolated mistake. It is simply the tip of the iceberg of a governance model that has been undermining the credibility of FIFA and football in general for many years. When rules can be interpreted or changed as it suits; when the most important decisions are made without real dialogue and agreement with the national/domestic leagues, which sustain professional football 365 days a year (the vast majority of clubs and professional players do not participate in international competitions); when a unilateral agenda is imposed without listening to the main stakeholders in football, the problem ceases to be a concrete resolution and becomes the system itself,” the official wrote on X this Tuesday. “FIFA Congresses are: grand performances of unanimity, without any real debate and with decisions that are already made before the voting even begins. There are no agreements with national/domestic leagues; decisions that constantly harm them are approved. The case of player Balogun only reinforces this perception; it is the tip of the iceberg. Furthermore, if rules are constantly applied arbitrarily, trust disappears. And without trust, there is no institutional credibility,” he continued, before stating that this is not new, as this behavior is tolerated. “And the worst part is that a large part of the football world is aware of this, but many prefer to maintain a complicit silence. Because staying silent is more comfortable than defending independence, transparency, and good governance. World football deserves accountable institutions that respect the rules and govern transparently, rather than through unilateral, discretionary, and arbitrary decisions… that undermine the trust of fans, clubs, leagues, and players,” he concluded.
Read more in La Liga news. and related tags: The Balogun, Javier Tebas.