TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Aleksander Ceferin, the president of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), was nowhere to be seen during Spain's World Cup triumph last Sunday.
His notable absence was especially felt since a European team was on the pitch, and because he also serves as a vice president of FIFA.
Ceferin did attend the opening match in Mexico City on June 11, and The Times reported that he planned to attend the final but stayed away as his relationship with FIFA grew increasingly discordant.
A growing discontent with FIFA's Infantino
As reported by several media, the relationship between Ceferin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been strained, but the Folarin Balogun red card affair was apparently the final straw. Ceferin decided to skip the World Cup final in New Jersey after the ordeal, The Times reported, as quoted from The Independent.
At the time, it was understood that the White House intervened to get Balogun's red card suspended, after US President Donald Trump phoned Infantino directly to request a "review" of the US striker.
UEFA publicly criticized the decision, calling it "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable” and saying it had “crossed a red line.”
But it was far from the first and only discontent the UEFA president had with FIFA's handling of the World Cup.
Ceferin is reportedly vexed by FIFA's failure to sway the US immigration after Somalian referee Omar Artan was denied entry to American soil. Just two days after Artan was sent home, UEFA announced that he would officiate for the Super Cup final in August, The New York Times reported.
Ceferin was also unhappy with how the Iranian team was treated throughout the tournament. UEFA reportedly believed that FIFA should and could have done more to assist Iran and ensure a level playing field for the Asian team.
Beyond this off-field contention, Ceferin has also disagreed with a number of FIFA decisions regarding this year's World Cup.
Some of these include the hydration breaks introduced for this year's edition, which split matches into four quarters; giving red cards to players who cover their mouths while speaking to opponents; and the extended half-time interval for the musical extravaganza that broke the maximum 15 minutes permitted.
Ceferin also publicly criticized FIFA's ticket pricing strategy for the World Cup this year, with UEFA having no plans to adopt dynamic pricing.
Another point of contention is also Ceferin's firm opposition to further World Cup expansion, with Infantino pushing for a future 64-team tournament.
Aleksander Ceferin has led UEFA since 2016—and was re-elected for another four-year term in 2023. While the rift between him and Infantino has grown deeper throughout the 2026 World Cup, he has spent as little time as possible at other FIFA events for quite some time.
Ceferin did not go to any games at the Club World Cup, and he only attended the opening game of the last Women's World Cup.
Read: How UEFA Slammed FIFA's Balogun Red Card Decision
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