Aleksander Ceferin, the Uefa president and Fifa vice-president, was notably absent from the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain in New Jersey on Sunday – a deliberate snub in protest at a series of decisions by Gianni Infantino’s world governing body.
While Ceferin did travel to Mexico City for the opening game between the co-hosts and South Africa, he skipped the showpiece finale after relations deteriorated sharply. The tipping point came when Fifa suspended a red-card offence for United States striker Folarin Balogun following an intervention from US President Donald Trump, allowing Balogun to play against Belgium.
“Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the World Cup final over Fifa's handling of Folarin Balogun red-card suspension after Trump intervention.”
Uefa reacted furiously at the time, issuing a statement that called Fifa’s move “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”. It said: “When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.”
Ceferin’s boycott also reflects deeper opposition to Infantino’s reforms. Half-time shows, which extended the usual 15-minute break to 27 minutes 22 seconds and featured acts including Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber, will not be introduced to the Champions League or European Championship. Uefa is strongly against a proposed expansion to a 64-team World Cup, which Infantino appeared to open the door to during the tournament.
Ticket prices have proved controversial: Uefa will broadly freeze prices for Euro 2028, meaning supporters can buy five tickets for the price of a single parking space at a World Cup stadium in the United States.
Other flashpoints include Fifa’s denial of entry to referee Omar Artan before the tournament started. Uefa responded by inviting the Somali official to take charge of the Super Cup between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa on 12 August.
On the pitch, Uefa has instructed its VARs not to consider diving under the mistaken identity protocol that Fifa used during the World Cup – a rule that led to Switzerland striker Breemel Embolo being sent off in the quarter-final defeat to Argentina. Players who cover their mouths in confrontations will also escape red cards in Uefa competitions, after a high-profile case involving Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. Prestianni was accused of racist abuse but later banned for six matches for homophobic conduct. The law change was championed by Infantino, who wanted a “deterrent effect” at the World Cup.
Ceferin’s absence from the final leaves the rift between the two governing bodies, and the future of football’s global governance, exposed.