According to Goal.com, UEFA President Ceferin missed the FIFA World Cup final in protest of FIFA's suspension of Balogun's ban.

US forward Balogun was already embroiled in controversy before the US team's loss to Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.

The Monaco forward was red-carded for a foul on Muharemovic during the US team's 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.

According to the rules, Balogun should have been suspended for the next match against Belgium. However, US President Trump intervened and spoke directly with FIFA President Infantino.

FIFA subsequently suspended the enforcement of this penalty for 12 months, citing Article 27 of its disciplinary regulations.

According to The Times, this incident had a ripple effect: Ceferin, still troubled by the Balogun affair, decided to boycott the FIFA World Cup final, which was one of the main reasons for his absence from that match.

According to the British media outlet, relations between UEFA and FIFA remained tense after the tournament. Ceferin was also displeased with the US authorities' refusal to allow Somali referee Omar Artan entry into the country.

Artan was later assigned to officiate the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August of this year.

FIFA's perceived mishandling of Iranian affairs also angered UEFA. UEFA also opposed some of FIFA's adjustments to the rules of the game, including the introduction of cooling breaks and extended half-time breaks in the final due to entertainment events.

Ceferin had previously attended the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, and he later criticized FIFA's dynamic pricing strategy for ticket sales.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com