UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin did not attend Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final after a series of disagreements between European football’s governing body and FIFA over disciplinary procedures, refereeing logistics and tournament operations, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
A major source of tension was FIFA’s decision to suspend the implementation of an automatic one-match ban for United States forward, Folarin Balogun following his red card, a move UEFA reportedly viewed as undermining established disciplinary standards.
The controversy became one of the tournament’s defining off-field issues, with UEFA condemning FIFA’s handling of the matter and saying the world governing body had “crossed a red line.”
Ceferin’s absence was also linked to the case of Somali referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was unable to officiate at the World Cup after being denied entry into the United States. Artan has since been appointed to referee the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August.
European delegates also expressed concerns over FIFA’s management of matches involving Iran, as well as operational changes introduced during the tournament, including mandatory hydration breaks and an extended half-time interval in the World Cup final.
Oluwagbemisola Babalola
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