‘The celebration will end tonight. The questions will not,’ Alain Berset says
Efe Ozkan
19 July 2026•Update: 19 July 2026
ISTANBUL
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset issued a statement Sunday ahead of the 2026 World Cup final, raising questions about FIFA’s practices during the tournament.
“A sanction suspended under pressure, within days, with no reasons given. The authority of referees called into question. Racist abuse of players, some of it from elected officials. Betting on every pass, every card, every corner,” he wrote, adding: “The celebration will end tonight. The questions will not.”
He said the next crisis facing the organization was rooted in money and power, particularly highlighting the influence of betting.
“Betting has moved from the result of a match to moments a single player can produce without changing the score. A bet won by making others lose. It is an open door to fraud. And this World Cup has opened the door wider. For the first time, FIFA welcomed a prediction market as an official partner, inside the stadiums themselves,” Berset stated.
He also voiced concern over FIFA’s decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban imposed on US striker Folarin Balogun following his red card. FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the move as an independent decision by the organization’s disciplinary committee “based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts”.
Berset, however, said the decision, taken shortly after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Infantino, showed that “political influence has also moved onto the field. The sanction suspended mid-tournament came after a head of state called the president of FIFA. When the rules bend under pressure, every result is open to doubt.”
The secretary general proposed “a working dialogue that starts tonight, to build the integrity framework of the 2030 World Cup before it is played” to address concerns from the tournament that could affect the next edition, which will mark the centenary of the World Cup.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been marked by a series of major controversies on and off the pitch, with incidents involving refereeing, racism, political influence and sports governance drawing global attention.
While the tournament has produced dramatic knockout-stage matches, debate over the integrity of decisions and the conduct of officials, politicians and football authorities has increasingly dominated the agenda.
