Europe rights body urges FIFA to strengthen 'integrity' of football

STRASBOURG, France: Pan-European rights organisation the Council of Europe on Sunday urged governing body FIFA to strengthen the “integrity” of football, saying that the World Cup co-hosted by the United States had raised “question after question”.

The 2026 World Cup, which winds up later Sunday with Argentina playing Spain in the final, had been tainted by political pressure, racist abuse of players and the opening up to betting markets which paves the way to fraud, Council of Europe secretary general Alain Berset said in a statement.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 has raised question after question,” he said. “The celebration will end tonight. The questions will not.”

He said there must be “a working dialogue that starts tonight, to build the integrity framework of the 2030 World Cup before it is played.”

Referring to US President Donald Trump’s call to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to ask him to review the World Cup suspension of US striker Folarin Balogun, he said: “Political influence has also moved onto the field.”

“When the rules bend under pressure, every result is open to doubt,” Berset said.

He also questioned FIFA’s decision to for the first time have a prediction market — ADI Predictstreet — as an official partner with intense betting on every facet of the game.

“Betting has moved from the result of a match to moments a single player can produce without changing the score.”

“It is an open door to fraud. And this World Cup has opened the door wider,” he said.

The now 46-member Council of Europe in the 1980s drew up a treaty to keep football fans safe and has also created an anti-doping convention as well as an accord against match-fixing.

“Tonight, the final whistle will end the tournament. Let it also open the third half and the urgent work of strengthening the integrity of sport,” said Berset.

The Council of Europe is not part of the the European Union and includes several European key states such as the UK who are not members of the bloc.