Top News

Europe’s top human rights body has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the World Cup, calling on FIFA to implement a stronger governance framework for the 2030 edition, which will primarily take place in Spain and Portugal.

In an openly critical letter released just hours before the final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Alain Berset, the head of the 46-member Council of Europe, warned: "The next crisis has already begun. It has two names: money and power."

Berset, a Swiss politician who has twice served as president of Switzerland — FIFA’s home country — highlighted FIFA’s contentious decision to lift a suspension imposed on United States forward Folarin Balogun.

The suspension, which had been lifted to allow Balogun to play in the quarter-final against Belgium — a match Belgium won 4-1 — came after pressure from US President Donald Trump.

"When the rules bend under pressure, every result is open to doubt," Berset wrote. "Political influence has also moved onto the field. The sanction suspended mid-tournament came after a head of state called the president of FIFA."

UEFA, the European football governing body, also strongly condemned FIFA’s decision, describing it as having "crossed a red line" in terms of the sport’s rule of law. FIFA has yet to release its official explanation for the ruling.

Further questions were raised about FIFA’s $150 million sponsorship deal with ADI Predictstreet, a prediction market company that was formed just one week before the contract was signed in April. FIFA has also secured other commercial partnerships linked to the gambling sector during this World Cup.

Berset criticised the rise of prediction betting, arguing that it encourages insider trading and allows wagers on "moments a single player can produce without changing the score."

He concluded his letter by warning: "It is an open door to fraud. And this World Cup has opened the door wider."

Despite a 2018 cooperation agreement between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Council of Europe — which at the time emphasised shared principles such as "transparency, accountability, integrity, safety in sport, and respect for human rights" — the Council has now chosen to express its worries publicly. The inter-governmental body, which established the European Convention on Human Rights, aims to "promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across Europe and beyond."

Berset also cited broader issues affecting the tournament, including challenges to referees’ authority, racist abuse directed at players — in some cases from elected officials — and the rapid expansion of betting markets covering "every pass, every card, every corner" in the first-ever 48-team, 104-match World Cup.

The 2030 men’s World Cup is set to be held largely in Europe, with Morocco joining as a co-host, and one match each to be staged in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay to commemorate the centenary of the inaugural 1930 tournament.