Aleksander Ceferin, the President of Boycott, did not attend the FIFA Men's World Cup Final on Sunday.
Spain topped Argentina, 1-0, in the FIFA Men's World Cup Final on Sunday. Spain won the World Cup for the first time since 2010. Argentina, meanwhile, failed to repeat as World Cup champions, after winning it all in 2022.
Ultimately, due to FIFA's handling of the Folarin Balogun situation - the U.S. men's national team star was set to miss the Round of 16 contest against Belgium before he was ruled eligible - the leader of UEFA chose not to attend the final match.
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The New York Times confirmed on Monday that the UEFA president did not attend.
"UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin stayed away from Sunday’s World Cup final in protest over FIFA’s handling of Folarin Balogun’s suspension, among other disagreements with football’s global governing body," The Times reported.
"Along with the rest of the FIFA Council, the European football chief went to the tournament’s opening game in Mexico City on June 11 and had planned to attend the Spain-Argentina finale, too."
Ceferin had multiple issues with FIFA
The Balogun situation was not the only thing that irked the UEFA President heading into the World Cup Final.
"Ceferin also took a dim view of FIFA’s failure to persuade the U.S. immigration authorities to let Somalian referee Omar Artan take part in the World Cup. Two days after he was sent home, UEFA announced that Africa’s top-ranked referee would officiate the Super Cup final next month. How Iran’s team were treated during the tournament is another point of difference between FIFA and UEFA, with the latter believing the former could and should have done more to ensure a level playing-field for the Asian side at the World Cup," The Times added.
"But the differences between the organizations go beyond their off-field disputes, as UEFA has also made it clear that it does not approve of mandatory hydration breaks, extended half-times to allow for musical extravaganzas or giving red cards to any players who cover their mouths while speaking on the pitch."
The 2030 World Cup is set to take place in Portugal, Spain and Morocco.
