European Body Questions World Cup Results; Donald Trump Allegedly Intervened in Rules

The President of the 46-member Council of Europe, in an open letter to his formal working partner FIFA ahead of the final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey, wrote: “Another crisis has already begun. It has two names: money and power.”

Swiss politician Alain Berset stated that FIFA suspended the penalty for American striker Folarin Balogun under pressure from US President Donald Trump.

“When rules are bent under pressure, every outcome is questionable,” Berset wrote. “Political influence has even spilled onto the pitch. A sanction suspended mid-tournament came after a head of state called the FIFA president. The door has opened even wider to fraud,” the politician added.

The Council of Europe publicly expressed its concerns despite having a formal working agreement with FIFA, signed by its president Gianni Infantino in 2018.

The body, which created the European Convention on Human Rights, has a stated mission to “promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across Europe and beyond.”