Uefa's Ceferin Boycotts World Cup Final Over Balogun Ruling and 64-Team Plan
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 20
Uefa's Ceferin Boycotts World Cup Final Over Balogun Ruling and 64-Team Plan
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 20
Summary
Aleksander Ceferin skipped Sunday's World Cup final in New Jersey after traveling to the opener in Mexico City, turning his absence into a protest against FIFA's tournament decisions.
Uefa's anger sharpened after US striker Folarin Balogun avoided suspension following intervention from President Donald Trump, a move the confederation called unprecedented and damaging to the competition's credibility.
Ceferin also opposes FIFA-backed changes including a 27-minute 22-second halftime show and Gianni Infantino's openness to a 64-team World Cup, saying neither will be adopted in Uefa competitions.
The split has widened across officiating and fan policy: Uefa invited referee Omar Artan to handle the 12 August Super Cup after he was denied US entry, and plans to broadly freeze Euro 2028 ticket prices.