Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin did not attend the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain in protest against Fifa. <\/p>\n
While the Slovenian did travel to Mexico City for the opening game between the co-hosts and South Africa, he snubbed the trip to New Jersey on Sunday after a series of decisions taken by world football’s governing body.<\/p>\n
Uefa reacted strongly after United States striker Folarin Balogun escaped a suspension following an intervention from US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
This was a key factor in Ceferin’s decision not to go to the final. <\/p>\n
Uefa had criticised Fifa’s decision at the time, calling it “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”.<\/a><\/p>\n “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,” Uefa said in a statement.<\/p>\n Ceferin is also firmly against many other changes driven by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, including half-time shows. They will not be introduced to the Champions League or the European Championship.<\/p>\n Pop giants Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber were among the acts to perform in the event<\/a>, which extended the usual 15-minute half-time break to 27 minutes 22 seconds. <\/p>\n Uefa is also strongly against a 64-team World Cup<\/a>, which Infantino appeared to open the door to during the tournament.<\/p>\n After referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the US<\/a> before the tournament started, Uefa invited the Somali to officiate the Super Cup<\/a> between Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa on 12 August.<\/p>\n The high ticket prices have also proved controversial within Uefa. <\/p>\n Uefa will broadly freeze ticket prices for Euro 2028<\/a> – meaning supporters will be able to buy five for the price of a single parking space at a World Cup stadium in the United States this summer.<\/p>\n BBC Sport reported on Friday how Uefa has instructed its VARs not to consider diving under the new mistaken identity protocol<\/a>, as Fifa has during the World Cup. This led to Switzerland striker Breel Embolo being sent off in the quarter-final defeat to Argentina.<\/p>\n Players who cover their mouths in confrontations with opponents will not be shown red cards in Uefa competitions<\/a> either.<\/p>\n The issue of players covering their mouths became high profile in February when Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt while speaking to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr during a Champions League game.<\/p>\n The Argentina international was accused of racist abuse and provisionally banned for one match. Following a Uefa investigation, Prestianni was found guilty of homophobic conduct<\/a> and banned for six matches – three of which were suspended.<\/p>\n