Javier Tebas has escalated his criticism of Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of Paris Saint-Germain and the European Club Association. The La Liga chief insists he does not see Al-Khelaifi as the right man to run FIFA, despite growing talk that he could stand to succeed Gianni Infantino in the 2027 elections.
Speaking in comments picked up by French network "Foot Mercato", Tebas said he believes Al-Khelaifi would be "a bad president for FIFA". His vision for running the game, Tebas argued, differs radically from the model he himself believes in.
"I think Nasser would be better at the presidency of Paris Saint-Germain, but he would not be a good president for FIFA," the La Liga association president explained. "I do not like the way he looks at football, as he does not work according to the European model I aspire to."
"Al-Khelaifi presides over the European Club Association, which includes around 800 clubs, but only very few are the ones whose voices are heard, and he is part of this group," he added. "He adopts an elitist model that I do not agree with."
These remarks land just days after Tebas called on Infantino to resign from the FIFA presidency. The trigger was a controversial project to set up a commercial company to sell part of the rights to the World Cup, an idea that was later abandoned.
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Al-Khelaifi's name has been floated strongly of late as one of the leading candidates to succeed Infantino, thanks to the support he enjoys within UEFA and a number of national federations. Those close to him, however, have flatly denied any intention to enter the race.
His spokespersons confirmed that the PSG president "has no ambition, intention or interest in taking over the FIFA presidency". He will instead continue to back global and European football institutions "quietly and constructively", away from any media or electoral campaigns.