UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin was not present when Spain secured the World Cup title. According to several media outlets, including the British The Times and The Telegraph, the absence was a protest against FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino.
According to The Times, Ceferin wanted to point out that politics has interfered with sporting decisions during the championship, especially after Donald Trump's call to FIFA about American striker Folarin Balogun's red card.
The Telegraph writes that Ceferin's absence from the World Cup final should be seen as further evidence of the deteriorating relationship between UEFA and FIFA. Ceferin is, in addition to being the president of UEFA, one of FIFA's eight vice-presidents.
