The FIFA has come under scrutiny over its governance ahead of the 2030 World Cup. Alain Berset, the head of the Swiss Football Association, has publicly contested the association's partnership with ADI Predictstreet. He also demanded that new integrity guarantees be put in place before the tournament.

The FIFA defends its independence from decision-making processes. An intervention reported by the Guardian focuses on the governance of the FIFA and the relationship between economic interests, political power, and rule application. Berset described a crisis linked to money and power.

He requested that a new safeguard for integrity be built before the tournament. This year's edition will mainly take place in Europe, which makes the call particularly relevant for the Council of Europe. The position assumes an institutional weight even for the existing relationship between the two organizations.

In 2018, the FIFA and the Council of Europe signed a memorandum of understanding still valid today, conceived to strengthen cooperation in areas including human rights, integrity, and good governance in sports. According to the Guardian, explicit public criticisms so rare between partners bound by an agreement are extremely rare. One central point of contention is ADI Predictstreet, which became the official partner of the World Cup for prediction markets in April.

Berset observed that bets no longer only concern the final result of a match but also individual episodes that can determine without modifying the score. At his judgment, this evolution amplifies the risk of fraudulent behavior and raises new questions about control capacity. The passage signals a strategic problem for the FIFA: the growth of commercial opportunities related to competition must confront itself with protecting sport credibility.

The reconstruction from the Guardian shows that Berset does not limit himself to contesting partnership but links new products previsional to the functioning of the integrity system itself. His thesis is that the World Cup has opened up another door already existed. The second line of criticism concerns the revocation of Balogun's squalification.

Staying according to the source, the decision of the FIFA came after a phone call from US President Donald Trump to Federation President Gianni Infantino. Berset described it as proof of the risk that rules may bend under pressure, making every result questionable at public eye. The FIFA provided a different version of the decision-making process.

Infantino stated that the revocation was established independently by the disciplinary committee of the federation based on applicable norms and specific facts. However, the information did not clarify the detailed motivations behind the decision or the role if any there was one of the mentioned telephone call. Berset also brought up other incidents which in his view weakened trust in tournament setup: an unscheduled suspension of sanctions within few days without reasons made known, arbiters' authority being questioned, and racist abuse directed towards players partly coming from elected representatives.

Secretariat General countered the conclusion of sports celebration with persistence of questions regarding competition management. The political context emerges even from the meeting between Infantino and Trump documented during the reception for the final edition at New York Trump Tower on July 17. No link operational between this appointment and discipline decisions is stabilized.

The relevant point in Berset's critique is rather the perception of proximity between top sports figures and power, capable of fueling doubts even in absence of public evidence of interference. The question arises while the FIFA prepares for the cycle leading to World Cup 2030. Alain Berts request implies that existing guarantees are considered insufficient to address expansion of prediction markets, transparency of penalties, and relationship with governments.

A memorandum signed in 2018 already offers a formal basis for cooperation but the attack shows how distance has increased between declared objectives and Council of Europe evaluation. It remains to be seen whether the FIFA will respond to new integrity safeguard proposal and render public further elements on Balogun squalification revocation. Furthermore, it is not specified what rules Berts wants to introduce or through which organisme they should be applied.

After the finals, comparison moves from sport field to structure controlling accompanying next world cup cycle.