Council of Europe urges FIFA to secure football integrity

The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Alban Pacıçe, revealed an increasing level of political and financial interference in the 2026 World Cup proceedings, particularly concerning refereeing decisions and the impact on the integrity of the tournament. He warned that FIFA had, during this World Cup, overturned punishments under pressure from political officials and conducted dubious investigations into referees' authority. He also criticized the spread of unregulated betting practices that increasingly involve sports, describing them as a threat to the integrity of athletics. Paciće called on FIFA to initiate constructive dialogue and develop an integrity framework to be implemented in the 2030 World Cup, with the aim of safeguarding sports from the influence of money and power.

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