XERACO, Spain (AP) — Five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar posted a photo from the hospital wearing a neck brace and with bandages on his hand and face on Sunday, a day after crashing out of the Spanish Vuelta.
The Instagram post came accompanied by the Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive.”
Pogačar was expected to undergo surgery after being sent hurdling head-over-handlebars in a frightening crash that forced him to pull out of the Vuelta. He suffered a concussion and broke two bones after he appeared to lose control when a stone came rolling across the road.
The Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates had a big lead and was heavily favored to win the title to complete a hat trick of cycling’s three Grand Tours.
This was Pogačar’s 10th Grand Tour and the first he has ever abandoned. He had never finished lower than third place.
The three-week Vuelta concludes in Granada on Sept. 13. The ninth stage was being held on Sunday.
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Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's red jersey celebrates on the podium after the second stage of the La Vuelta cycling race, with start in Monaco and finish in Manosque, France, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's red jersey celebrates on the podium after the second stage of the La Vuelta cycling race, with start in Monaco and finish in Manosque, France, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Dutch football federation is calling for an international summit to discuss the future of FIFA after becoming the latest nation to call for new leadership at the global soccer governing body on Sunday.
In a statement, the federation said it “no longer has confidence” in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and offered to host an international summit to discuss ideas to reshape the organisation.
The Dutch federation said there is a need for a “new FIFA,” not just a new president.
“The 2027 presidential election should not only be about who leads FIFA,” it said. "First, we need to determine what kind of FIFA we want. Then we can identify the leadership needed to deliver that change.
“For us, this discussion must be about more than Gianni Infantino. The key question is: what kind of FIFA does football need?” the federation said. “Our ambition is clear: a strong and credible FIFA that belongs to football, serves its members and develops the game around the world.”
It said “this should not be a European plan for the rest of the world. We want to develop this new direction together with FIFA’s 211 Member Associations and the confederations from all parts of the world.”
The federation said it shared “this position and our vision for the future of FIFA” in a letter to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.
UEFA, the European soccer confederation, is spearheading the backlash against Infantino over his failed World Cup sell-off plan that created a deep rift in the sport.
Many of its other member federations have withdrawn their support for the FIFA leader, who is up for re-election in March 2027. Some have called for his resignation.
Infantino has not given any indication he plans to step down.
“We believe FIFA needs new leadership from 2027 onwards. But a new president alone is not enough. The way FIFA is governed must change as well,” it said.
“We see too much power concentrated around the FIFA president and insufficient separation between the president and the FIFA administration,” the federation said. “The process surrounding the now-withdrawn FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal was a turning point for us. Withdrawing the proposal was necessary, but it does not restore the trust that has been lost.”
The Dutch federation said it sees three priorities: improved governance with a better balance of power, putting soccer’s social power at the heart of FIFA and investing more in soccer worldwide.
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FILE - UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino, left, speaks with former Barcelona player Carles Puyol, who prepares the draw, during the UEFA Champions League draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, Aug. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File)
