UEFA president boycotts World Cup finals to protest FIFA over Balogun saga

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin boycotted the World Cup final in protest at FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban, The Times reports.

Čeferin’s decision to skip the New York show comes amid growing tensions between UEFA and FIFA over a series of problems during the tournament. The Balogun controversy emerged as a major flashpoint.

The American forward was sent off for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic during his side’s 2-0 Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to FIFA regulations, Balogun was expected to serve an automatic one-match ban 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 forward available for the knockout clash.

The decision came after US President Donald Trump revealed he had spoken to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and insisted 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 5 July, saying:

“In accordance with Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the performance of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year.

“If Folarin Balogun commits another violation of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension will be lifted and the penalty enforced without prejudice to any additional penalty imposed for the new violation.”

Belgium’s appeal against the decision was rejected, prompting criticism from players, former footballers and pundits.

UEFA FIFA IS OUT

UEFA responded with an unusually strong statement, accused FIFA of undermining the integrity of the competition.

“Football, like any other sport, relies on rules that underpin fair, honest and transparent competition,” UEFA said.

It argued that an automatic one-match ban following a red card is mandatory and cannot be overturned mid-tournament.

“When the certainty of the rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of the competition is undermined,” it said in a statement, calling FIFA’s decision “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.”

WHY CEFERIN BOYCOTTED THE WORLD FINALS

According to The Times, the Balogun dispute was one of the reasons for Čeferin’s decision to stay away from the World Cup finals.

The report said that relations between UEFA and FIFA deteriorated during the tournament due to several issues. Čeferin was also displeased with the decision of the US authorities 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 behavior towards Iran during the tournament, the introduction of hydration breaks and an extended half-time interval for the World Cup finals due to the half-time show, and FIFA’s dynamic ticket pricing policy.

Čeferin took part in the opening match between Mexico and South Africa but missed the final, with his decision reflecting the growing strain in the relationship between UEFA and FIFA following one of the biggest controversies of the tournament.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

20 Jul 2026 20:37 IST