<p>NYON, Switzerland — The outspoken head of Spain’s La Liga is set to join UEFA’s executive committee next week, working alongside the Spanish soccer federation president he has often clashed with.</p>
<p>Spanish league president Javier Tebas was picked by European Leagues, the 30-nation group said Monday, as its delegate to sit on the decision-making committee.</p>
<p>If Tebas is confirmed on April 20 at the annual meeting of 55 UEFA member federations, he will take his place alongside Luis Rubiales, the Spanish federation boss who is a vice president of the European soccer body.</p>
<p>Tebas and Rubiales have often publicly criticized each other, including over La Liga’s wish to play games in the United States.</p>
<p>Tebas has also been critical of UEFA rules to monitor the spending of wealthy clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, whose president Nasser al-Khelaifi is also a UEFA executive committee member. </p>
<p>The European Leagues group has been represented at UEFA by Swedish official Lars-Christer Olsson. The former UEFA chief executive steps down next week after turning 70 and passing the age limit for re-election.</p>
<p>Tebas is set to get a four-year mandate to 2025. His tenure is likely to see increased pressure on 20-team leagues like La Liga and England’s Premier League to reduce to 16 or 18 to ease a congested fixture calendar. </p>
<p>The Champions League is set to expand to 36 teams playing 100 extra matches from 2024 in a format expected to be agreed next Monday by the UEFA executive committee.</p>
<p>Spain is also expected to team up with Portugal to be UEFA’s preferred single bidder to host the 2030 World Cup.</p>
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