Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin refused to attend the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain in New Jersey, in an extraordinary public protest against Fifa’s handling of the tournament and its wider reforms.
The Slovenian lawyer, who did travel to Mexico City for the World Cup’s opening match between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, stayed away from Sunday’s showpiece after a series of decisions by world football’s governing body that have angered European officials.
Uefa’s fury was triggered in particular by Fifa’s handling of a disciplinary case involving United States striker Folarin Balogun, who avoided suspension after the intervention of US President Donald Trump – a move Uefa condemned as a grave threat to the game’s integrity.
Balogun case ‘unprecedented’ flashpoint
Uefa reacted sharply when Balogun escaped a ban during the tournament, after political lobbying from the White House.
The European body branded Fifa’s response “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”, and this controversy was central to Ceferin’s decision to boycott the final.
“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,” Uefa said in a statement issued at the time.
The row has deepened an already fractious relationship between the Zurich-based organisation and Uefa, which has increasingly positioned itself in open opposition to Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s plans for the global game.
Half-time shows and 64-team World Cup rejected
Ceferin is firmly opposed to several innovations championed by Infantino, most notably extended half-time entertainment and the prospect of further World Cup expansion.
The World Cup featured lengthy half-time shows that stretched the normal 15-minute interval to 27 minutes and 22 seconds, with global stars Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber among those performing.
Uefa has ruled out importing such spectacles into its flagship competitions, including the Champions League and the European Championship, insisting they will not follow Fifa’s lead.
European officials are also strongly against a possible 64-team World Cup, an idea Infantino appeared to leave open during the tournament, amid ongoing debate over player welfare and competitive balance.
Somali referee backed after US entry denial
Another flashpoint came before the tournament even began, when Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States.
In response, Uefa moved to show solidarity by inviting Artan to officiate the Uefa Super Cup between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa on 12 August, underlining its willingness to publicly diverge from Fifa on high-profile matters.
Ticket pricing has been another area of friction. Uefa figures have been dismayed by the cost of attending World Cup matches in the US, which they see as excessively high for ordinary fans.
Uefa has pledged to broadly freeze ticket prices for Euro 2028, saying that supporters will be able to buy five tickets for the price of a single parking space at a World Cup stadium in the United States this summer.
VAR instructions and red-card rules defy Fifa
The disagreement extends onto the pitch, with Uefa explicitly refusing to implement several law interpretations used at the World Cup.
BBC Sport reported on Friday that Uefa has instructed its VAR officials not to treat diving as part of the new “mistaken identity” protocol in the same way Fifa has applied it at the tournament. Under Fifa’s approach, this contributed to Switzerland striker Breel Embolo being sent off in the quarter-final defeat by Argentina.
In Uefa competitions, players who cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents will also not be shown red cards, in contrast to the hardline stance taken in the World Cup.
The issue of players obscuring their mouths became high profile in February when Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt while speaking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr in a Champions League match.
The Argentina international was initially accused of racist abuse and provisionally suspended for one game. After a Uefa investigation, Prestianni was instead found guilty of homophobic conduct and banned for six matches, three of them suspended.
Infantino’s ‘deterrent’ red-card push
The new red-card law applied at the World Cup originated from Infantino, who sought measures that would have “a deterrent effect” on player behaviour during the tournament.
Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron was the first player to be dismissed under the new regime in a group-stage match against Turkey. Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie was also sent off during Ecuador’s last-16 defeat to co-hosts Mexico.
By openly resisting these changes, freezing ticket prices and boycotting the World Cup final, Uefa under Ceferin has signalled a sharp escalation in its stand-off with Fifa over who sets the direction of the world’s most popular sport.
