The global football governing body has been sharply criticized for creating an “open door to fraud” and permitting political interference to undermine the credibility of the World Cup, according to a strongly worded statement from the head of the Council of Europe.
In a public letter timed with Sunday’s championship match, Alain Berset urged the establishment of a new integrity structure before the 2030 tournament, which will largely take place across Europe, and cautioned that the organization was caught in a crisis revolving around finances and influence.
Berset pointed to the controversy over the decision to halt the suspension of American forward Folarin Balogun and made clear references to remarks by Paraguayan legislator Celeste Amarilla concerning Kylian Mbappé and by former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy about the French national side.
“The 2026 World Cup has prompted a cascade of concerns,” Berset stated. “A punishment was lifted under duress, in a matter of days, without explanation. The credibility of match officials has been challenged. Players have faced racist attacks, some originating from public office holders. Wagering has extended to every pass, every caution, every set piece. The festivities conclude tonight. The doubts will persist.”
This marks a notable step, considering the two bodies established a cooperation agreement in 2018 that remains in effect. The pact was designed to enhance collaboration on issues such as “human rights, integrity and good governance in sport.” Direct public condemnation from one signatory to another is extremely uncommon.
Berset criticized the organization’s arrangement with ADI Predictstreet, which was named the tournament’s official prediction market ally in April. “Gambling has shifted from the final outcome to isolated actions a player can perform without altering the scoreline,” he observed. “A wager is gained by ensuring others lose. This is a gateway to corruption. And this World Cup has flung that gate wide open.”
In another allusion to the reversal of Balogun’s suspension, which followed a conversation between the federation’s leader, Gianni Infantino, and the US president, Donald Trump, Berset remarked: “When regulations give way under pressure, every result becomes questionable.”
Gianni Infantino with Donald Trump at an event during the tournament in New York.
Infantino has maintained that the decision to lift Balogun’s punishment was reached autonomously by the organization’s disciplinary body “based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts.”
Berset, a Swiss national, put forward a “working dialogue that starts tonight” to tackle the “pressing task of reinforcing the integrity of sport” ahead of upcoming World Cups. He cited the Council of Europe’s role—as the continent’s intergovernmental human rights body—in crafting a binding accord to safeguard spectators following the 1985 Heysel Stadium tragedy, along with subsequent laws aimed at combating doping and match manipulation.
The letter follows an initiative by 72 European parliament members who, a week and a half ago, urged the 27 football associations within the EU to probe Infantino’s role in the Balogun affair. The request highlighted alleged violations of political impartiality and implied the organization had broken its own ethical guidelines.
It seems improbable that European football’s administrative body will formally pursue the issue. In June, 50 European parliament members wrote to Infantino and the ruling council seeking an inquiry into the conferral of a peace accolade upon Trump.
A request for a response from the football organization was made.
This past week, a media report disclosed that more than 200 of the federation’s member associations have officially endorsed Infantino’s push for a fourth term in the upcoming March ballot.
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