19 July 2026
FIFA Giving Match-Fixing 'An Open Door' Through Betting, Warns Europe
The head of the Council of Europe has written a pointed public letter accusing FIFA of leaving the World Cup dangerously exposed to fraud through its embrace of sports betting.
Alain Berset, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, has written a sharply worded letter taking aim at FIFA's approach to integrity at this World Cup, according to The Guardian. Berset argues that allowing betting on individual match events, from every corner to every card, effectively gives fraud an open door into the game.
The Guardian reports that Berset cited several controversies from this tournament: the unexplained last-minute reversal of a suspension against a named player, comments from a Paraguayan senator about Kylian Mbappé, and remarks made by the former Spanish prime minister about the France team. He described the situation as raising question after question.
In his letter, Berset wrote that the celebration would end on Sunday night but the questions would not, according to The Guardian. The outlet notes that a formal response from UEFA is not expected, though 50 members of the European parliament had previously written to FIFA requesting an investigation into a separate matter involving the FIFA peace prize.
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