Folarin Balogun Incident Prompts UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin To Skip FIFA World Cup Final

Published 21 July 2026 · sports

Folarin Balogun Incident Prompts UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin To Skip FIFA World Cup Final Published By, Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 08:12 IST UEFA President

Folarin Balogun Incident Prompts UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin To Skip FIFA World Cup Final Published By, Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 08:12 IST UEFA President Ceferin skipped the FIFA World Cup final, protesting FIFA's controversial overturning of Folarin Balogun's red card. Rapid Read Aleksander Ceferin addresses a press conference at the 50th UEFA Ordinary Congress in Brussels (Picture credit: AFP) UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin gave the FIFA World Cup final a miss to protest the world body turning over Folarin Balogun’s red card for the United States’ match against Belgium, one he had received in the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Along with the rest of the FIFA Council, Ceferin attended the tournament opener in Mexico City on June 11 and had also been due to be present for the Spain-Argentina final. But as first reported by The Times, Ceferin changed his plans after FIFA’s disciplinary committee overturned the one-game suspension handed to United States striker Balogun after his red card in the Round of 32 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 2.

The controversial decision, which FIFA said was taken by the disciplinary committee’s Emirati chairman Mohammad Al Kamali, came after US President Donald Trump called Gianni Infantino and requested the FIFA president to overturn the suspension, according to reports. In a statement, UEFA called the move ‘unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable’, saying that FIFA had ‘crossed a red line’ by permitting, at the very least, the perception of political interference in football. The decision drew criticism from multiple UEFA member associations as well, with Belgium’s football federation making its stance clear by posting the message, ‘Overturn this’, after its 4-1 win against the United States in the next round. The Balogun controversy is just one of multiple flashpoints between FIFA and UEFA, whose already strained relationship has entered another frosty phase. Before the tournament, Ceferin criticised FIFA’s ticket pricing, warning that it risked ‘taking the game away’ from football’s ‘most serious, dedicated fans’.

Unlike FIFA, UEFA has ruled out using a dynamic pricing model at its tournaments and said that at least 40% of tickets for Euro 2028 in the United Kingdom and Ireland will be priced at £60 (around Rs 7,700) or less. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Key Questions Answered How will this incident affect future FIFA-UEFA relations? UEFA has criticized FIFA's decision to overturn Folarin Balogun's red card suspension, calling it "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable" and stating FIFA "crossed a red line". Could political interference become more common in football? Political interference in football could become more common following FIFA's decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's red card ban after a request from US President Donald Trump. What are the implications for fair play in tournaments? FIFA's decision to overturn Folarin Balogun's red card suspension has raised concerns about fair play and political interference in tournaments.