Tebas gives up on World Cup battle: “The final will go to Morocco” | OneFootball

Javier Tebas no longer seems to have many doubts. If the 2030 World Cup is hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, the match everyone wants to host will end up on the other side of the Strait. “The final, unless there’s a surprise, is going to Morocco,” he said this Wednesday during the ADEA Forum held in Huesca.

This is not some improvised remark. Just 24 hours earlier, during the World Football Summit, the LaLiga president had been even more blunt: as long as Gianni Infantino remains at the head of FIFA, he considers Spain’s chances of landing the final “tiny or zero”. He even suggested that, if it came to that, Spain’s participation in the tournament should be “rethought.”

Behind Tebas’s suspicions is Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan federation, minister delegate in charge of the Budget, and member of the FIFA Council. The executive recently said that the Hassan II stadium in Benslimane, near Casablanca, “will have the honor” of hosting the final. FIFA responded by reminding everyone that the venue has not yet been decided.

Tebas, however, is focusing on who is saying those words. If someone with Lekjaa’s weight within the organization speaks with that kind of certainty, “it must be for a reason.” He adds another far less subtle clue: Morocco is building a gigantic 115,000-seat stadium. “It’s not going to be for the cricket final,” he quipped.

The battle is also being fought in Madrid

The issue has also made its way into Spanish politics. The PP has spent days accusing Pedro Sánchez’s government of not putting enough pressure on to secure the final. Borja Sémper complained that, while Morocco is treating it as virtually a done deal, the government is showing “no pressure, no strategy, not a single known move.” From Sumar, Nahuel González went so far as to call a possible Moroccan final a “historic humiliation.”

These criticisms tie into a broader message from sectors of the opposition about the government’s relationship with Rabat, although there is no evidence that Spain has handed the final to Morocco, and both the government and the RFEF have publicly defended Spain’s bid.

For now, FIFA is officially keeping the suspense alive. Tebas, of course, no longer seems to be buying it.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.