Council of Europe calls for FIFA dialogue
The Council of Europe’s secretary general has called for talks with football’s governing body FIFA to build “an integrity framework” before the next World Cup in 2030.
In a statement issued before yesterday’s (19 July) final, Alain Berset said that the 2026 tournament had raised “question after question”.
The head of the human-rights organisation expressed concern about the increase in betting markets available, describing it as “an open door to fraud”.
“For the first time, FIFA welcomed a prediction market as an official partner, inside the stadiums themselves,” he added.
‘Political influence’
Berset also referred to the decision to allow US striker Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium after he had received a one-match ban for a red card in the previous match, saying that “political influence has also moved onto the field”.
US President Trump said that he had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino about the suspension.
“When the rules bend under pressure, every result is open to doubt,” Berset stated.
Binding conventions
He proposed what he described as a “third half” to FIFA: “A working dialogue that starts tonight, to build the integrity framework of the 2030 World Cup before it is played.”
Berset noted that the Council of Europe had responded to previous sporting problems – including a treaty on keeping spectators safe after the Heysel disaster and conventions aimed at tackling doping and match-fixing.
“Each time, the Council of Europe answered with law. It brings binding conventions, 46 member states, and four decades of turning sport’s crises into sport’s rules,” Berset concluded.