UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin boycotted the FIFA World Cup final in protest against FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, according to a report by The Times.
Ceferin’s decision to skip the showpiece in New York came amid growing tensions between UEFA and FIFA over a series of issues during the tournament, with the Balogun controversy emerging as a major flashpoint.
The USA forward was sent off for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic during his side’s 2-0 Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under FIFA regulations, Balogun was expected to serve an automatic one-match suspension in the Round of 16 against Belgium.
Instead, FIFA suspended the implementation of the ban for a probationary period of 12 months under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, making the AS Monaco striker available for the knockout clash.
The decision came after US President Donald Trump revealed he had spoken to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, insisting Balogun should not have been sent off.
“I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said, adding: “I didn’t tell him what to do. I can’t tell him what to do.”
Trump later argued that the incident involved two players colliding while running at full speed and did not warrant a dismissal.
FIFA announced the decision on July 5, saying:
“In line with Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.
“If Folarin Balogun commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”
Belgium’s appeal against the decision was rejected, prompting criticism from players, former footballers and pundits.
UEFA HITS OUT AT FIFA
UEFA responded with an unusually strong statement, accusing FIFA of compromising the integrity of the competition.
“Football, like any other sport, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition,” UEFA said.
It argued that an automatic one-match suspension following a red card is mandatory and cannot be set aside midway through a tournament.
“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,” the statement said, calling FIFA’s decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”
WHY CEFERIN BOYCOTTED THE WORLD CUP FINAL
According to The Times, the Balogun controversy was one of the reasons behind Ceferin’s decision to stay away from the World Cup final.
The report said relations between UEFA and FIFA deteriorated during the tournament over several issues. Ceferin was also unhappy with the US authorities’ decision to deny Somali referee Omar Artan entry into the country. Artan has since been appointed to officiate the UEFA Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August.
Other points of disagreement included FIFA’s handling of Iran during the tournament, the introduction of hydration breaks and an extended half-time interval for the World Cup final because of the half-time show, and FIFA’s dynamic ticket pricing policy.
Ceferin attended the opening match between Mexico and South Africa but was absent from the final, with his decision reflecting the growing strain in UEFA’s relationship with FIFA following one of the tournament’s biggest controversies.
– Ends
