Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA and FIFA
Sunday’s World Cup final
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin skipped the World Cup final in protest against FIFA. His decision followed anger over Folarin Balogun’s suspended ban, half-time shows, ticket prices, VAR interpretation and Gianni Infantino’s 64-team World Cup idea.
UEFA called the Balogun decision unprecedented and damaging to competition integrity after Donald Trump’s intervention. The boycott shows a deepening split between European football and FIFA over commercialisation, governance and tournament rules.