A European democracy and human rights watchdog has raised questions about the integrity of the FIFA World Cup, urging FIFA to take proactive steps to establish a stronger framework for fairness ahead of the 2030 tournament.

According to the Associated Press, the Council of Europe (CoE) sent an open letter to FIFA ahead of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, held today at New Jersey Stadium in New Jersey, U.S., stating, "The next crisis has already begun. Its name is money and power."

The Council of Europe is an international organization dedicated to upholding democracy and human rights, established in 1949.

Headquartered in Strasbourg, France, it currently consists of 46 member states.

In the letter, CoE Secretary General Alain Berset, who served as President of the Swiss Confederation twice, cited FIFA's decision to suspend a match ban for U.S. national team forward Folarin Balogun under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as the organization's contract with a prediction market company as an official World Cup sponsor.

Balogun was sent off with a red card during the North and Central America World Cup Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which should have ruled him out of the Round of 16.

However, after U.S. President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review, FIFA reversed its decision and suspended Balogun's match ban for one year.

Balogun ultimately played in the Round of 16 match against Belgium, which the U.S. lost 1-4.

Regarding this, Secretary General Berset stated, "When rules are shaken by pressure, the results of every match are called into question."

He continued his criticism, saying, "Political influence has now entered the pitch. A situation occurred where a head of state called the FIFA president, and a disciplinary action was suspended."

The Council of Europe also raised questions about FIFA's decision in April to sign a sponsorship deal with ADI PredictStreet, a company backed by Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, reportedly worth approximately 150 million dollars (about 223.5 billion won), which allows betting on almost every element of the game.

The company was officially established just one week before signing the contract with FIFA.

Secretary General Berset pointed out, "Betting now goes beyond match results to include individual moments that a single player can create."

He added, "This is an open door that can lead to misconduct, and this World Cup has opened that door even wider."

Finally, he proposed to FIFA, "Let us begin a dialogue starting tonight (as the North and Central America World Cup concludes). And let us build a system together that can guarantee the integrity of the tournament before the 2030 World Cup takes place."