The president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, decided to boycott the World Cup final following a breakdown in relations between the organisation and FIFA.
While the President of the United States, Donald Trump and a number of other high-profile figures attended Sunday's showpiece final, which Spain won 1-0, in New Jersey, Ceferin was absent despite the fact he is a FIFA vice-president. And the circumstances behind the 58-year-old's decision not to attend are now starting to emerge.
As per a new report from The Times, Ceferin's absence was a byproduct of the Folarin Balogun saga, which saw FIFA defer a ban for the United States striker after he was sent off. Trump himself boasted that he had been in touch with Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, to recommend the striker's soft red card be reviewed.
Balogun was subsequently cleared to play in the United States' pivotal round of 16 meeting with Belgium, who record an emphatic 4-1 win. Their stars then mocked Trump with their post-match celebrations, mimicking the President's dance moves.
UEFA condemned the decision to defer Balogun's ban at the time, saying it was “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and that FIFA had “crossed a red line” by choosing to do so.
Political interference is not the only gripe UEFA is said to have with FIFA around the World Cup, though, with Ceferin criticising the astronomical cost of tickets back in May.
They also stepped in to appoint Omar Artan, the Somalian referee who was prevented from entering the United States, for the Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August.
There are also concerns within UEFA regarding some of the rule changes that were pushed through by FIFA ahead of the World Cup and have already confirmed they will not follow their lead in instructing referees to send off players who speak to an opponent while covering their mouth, among other new rules.
Moving forward, UEFA are against proposals to expand the World Cup to a staggering 64 teams. That would represent another significant increase to the teams involved at the tournament, with the 2026 edition being the first to feature 48 teams rather than 32.
Speaking back in April, Ceferin said:
“This proposal was maybe even more surprising for me than you. “I think it is a bad idea.”
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