Council of Europe Attacks Fifa Over ‘Open Door to Fraud’
The Council of Europe’s secretary general has delivered one of the most pointed public criticisms of Fifa seen from an institutional partner, publishing an open letter on the day of the 2026 World Cup final that accused the governing body of compromising the tournament’s integrity on multiple fronts.
According to The Guardian, Alain Berset’s letter took direct aim at Fifa’s partnership with ADI Predictstreet, which was named the World Cup’s official prediction market partner in April. Berset argued that betting had shifted far beyond simple match outcomes, now covering individual moments — a pass, a card, a corner — that a single player can influence without affecting the scoreline. “A bet is won by making others lose,” he wrote. “It is an open door to fraud. And this World Cup has opened the door wider.”
For UK bettors already familiar with in-play markets, the warning carries real weight. As micro-betting grows in popularity, integrity concerns around player-level wagering are becoming harder to ignore. You can keep across all the relevant results and context in our World Cup 2026 hub and live standings.
Berset also addressed the controversy surrounding American striker Folarin Balogun, whose suspension was lifted by Fifa’s disciplinary committee in circumstances that drew widespread scrutiny. The decision followed a reported phone call from US president Donald Trump to Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Berset’s assessment was blunt: “When the rules bend under pressure, every result is open to doubt.” Infantino has maintained the ruling was taken independently based on applicable regulations.
The letter is notable because Fifa and the Council of Europe signed a memorandum of understanding in 2018 covering human rights, integrity, and good governance in sport — making open criticism between the two parties exceptionally rare. Berset, who is Swiss, also referenced racist abuse directed at players during the tournament, some of it from elected officials, and flagged comments made by a Paraguayan senator about Kylian Mbappé and by former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy about the France squad.
Berset called for urgent dialogue to establish a new integrity framework before the 2030 World Cup, much of which is planned for Europe. His letter followed a separate move by 72 members of the European Parliament, who wrote to EU-based football associations requesting an investigation into Infantino’s role in the Balogun case.
Fifa, meanwhile, appears unlikely to face formal internal pressure from Uefa. More than 200 of Fifa’s member associations have already backed Infantino’s bid for a fourth term as president in March.