Council of Europe urges FIFA to safeguard 2030 World Cup integrity

The Council of Europe (CoE) wrote an open letter to FIFA warning that the 2026 World Cup has exposed a crisis of “money and power.” The European human‑rights body cited political pressure on the sport’s governing body, noting the suspension of U.S. forward Folarin Balugun after a call from President Donald Trump, and warned that this undermines the authority of referees.

CoE chair Alain Berset highlighted FIFA’s $150 million sponsorship deal with ADI Predictstreet, a prediction‑market operator, calling it an “open door to fraud” that lets bets be placed on individual moments rather than match outcomes. He urged FIFA to develop a stronger governance framework for the 2030 tournament, which will be staged mainly in Spain and Portugal.

The letter reminded that FIFA and the CoE have a memorandum of understanding dating from 2018, committing both parties to promote transparency, accountability and human‑rights standards in sport. UEFA also criticized FIFA’s disciplinary ruling on Balugun, adding to calls for reform ahead of future World Cups.