Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin snubs Women’s World Cup final

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin will not be attending the Women’s World Cup final, despite the European confederation having two teams at the Sydney final in Spain and England. Uefa will instead be represented by Nadine Kessler, technical director of the women’s game for the body. Ceferin’s absence is the latest in a series of snubs from figures who purportedly support or represent the women’s game, including president of the FA Prince William, and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. The length of the journey to Australia was put down as a primary reason for Ceferin’s snub. Fifa president Gianni Infantino will be present at Sunday’s final, although he created controversy of his own on Friday with a bizarre speech that encouraged women to “just push the doors” saying that they have the “power to convince us men” in the fight for equality. Many were left in a dumbfounded state of disbelief once more as yet another insensitive Infantino speech surfaced, this time at a Fifa women’s football convention in Sydney in the build-up to the World Cup final. “And I say to all the women – and you know I have four daughters, so I have a few at home – I say to all the women, that you have the power to change,” the president said, in a strange attempt to show that he somehow relates to the struggles of women in football with his use the father-of-daughters narrative. “Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. You have the power to change. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do. You do it. Just do it. “With men, with Fifa, you will find open doors. Just push the doors. They are open. And do it also at national level, in every country, at continental level, in every confederation. Just keep pushing, keep the momentum, keep dreaming, and let’s really go for a full equality.” His comments were deemed “patronising” and were quickly criticised, providing an unwelcome throwback to statements he made at last year’s men’s World Cup in Qatar where he gave his infamous speech, including the phrases “today I feel gay” and “today I feel disabled”. Read More ‘It’s so patronising’: Gianni Infantino criticised for comments on women ahead of World Cup final Prince William apologises for missing Lionesses World Cup final: ‘Good luck’ Unless they’re on Branson’s space rocket, there’s no good reason for Wills and Rishi not to fly out to cheer on the Lionesses