Council of Europe: 2026 World Cup raises a full range of questions
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has called on the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to embark on what he described as a “third half” by working to protect football from political and financial pressures ahead of the next World Cup.
Before the final match between Argentina and Spain on Sunday evening, Berset stated that the 2026 World Cup in North America had raised “a whole series of questions,” pointing to FIFA’s decision to suspend the red card shown by the referee to American player Folarin Balogun, without providing an explanation, following intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Berset said, “A sanction was suspended during the tournament after a head of state called the FIFA president,” expressing regret that “political influence now extends even onto the pitch.”
He argued that FIFA must begin a “third half” by “urgently working to strengthen the integrity of sport,” noting that this integrity is now threatened by “money and influence.”
In a statement, he added that the 2026 World Cup also witnessed “sanctions suspended under pressure” and “questioning of referees’ authority.” He also condemned “racist insults directed at players, some of which came from elected officials,” and the widespread proliferation of betting markets that cover “every pass, every card, every corner kick.”
Berset warned, “Betting is no longer limited to match results; it now also covers events that players can commit without affecting the outcome. It is possible to win a bet by causing others to lose, which opens the door to fraud.”
He added that this edition of the World Cup “has widened this door further,” noting that “for the first time, FIFA includes among its official partners a company operating in the prediction markets sector, which is present even inside stadiums.”
Berset called on FIFA to “begin a constructive dialogue starting today, in order to prepare an integrity framework to be applied at the 2030 World Cup.”
