UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin skipped Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final amid growing tensions between European football’s governing body and FIFA over disciplinary decisions, refereeing issues and tournament operations, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Ceferin’s absence from the showpiece event followed a series of disagreements that reportedly deepened during the tournament, with UEFA raising concerns over what it viewed as FIFA’s handling of key decisions.
One of the major flashpoints was FIFA’s decision to delay the enforcement of an automatic one-match suspension for United States forward Folarin Balogun after his red card.
UEFA reportedly considered the move a challenge to established disciplinary procedures and criticised FIFA’s approach, saying the world football governing body had “crossed a red line.”
The disciplinary dispute became one of the tournament’s biggest controversies, adding to wider disagreements between the two organisations over the running of the competition.
Ceferin’s decision not to attend the final 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 selected to referee the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August.
European officials also raised concerns about FIFA’s handling of matches involving Iran, alongside operational changes introduced during the tournament.
Among the disputed measures were mandatory hydration breaks during matches and the extension of the half-time interval in the World Cup final to accommodate additional entertainment activities.
The disagreements have highlighted growing tensions between FIFA and UEFA over issues ranging from competition management to decision-making processes.
While both bodies remained central to global football administration, the latest disputes have raised questions about the future relationship between the organisations and their approach to managing major international tournaments.
