The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Burset, demanded that the International Federation of Football (FIFA) begin negotiations on a new "framework agreement." "The celebration will end tonight. The questions will remain. The next crisis has already begun. It has two names: money and power," stated Alain Burset in an open letter published just hours before the start of the World Cup final match on Sunday, July 19. In the letter, the head of the Council of Europe reproached FIFA for its politicization, scandals with racist undertones, and collaboration with the betting organization ADI Predictstreet, which Burset believes paves the way for "fraud." In 2018, the Council of Europe signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FIFA. In it, FIFA committed to respecting the standards and principles of the Council of Europe, which include ensuring the protection of human rights and "good governance." Alain Burset concluded in his letter that the "framework agreement," considering everything that happened at the North American World Cup, should be revised by the next tournament in 2030. ## ## Criticism of FIFA During the 2026 World Cup, the International Federation of Football and its head, Gianni Infantino, faced criticism multiple times. One of the most notable incidents was the cancellation of the disqualification of U.S. national team player Folarin Balogun, which Infantino was personally asked to intervene on by the head of the White House, Donald Trump, during a phone call. FIFA was also criticized for allowing the sporting aspect to take a backseat to show and advertising: the number of commercial breaks, ceremonies, and entertainment surrounding matches increased, especially for the final—during the halftime breaks, a show featuring artists was held, similar to the popular Super Bowl in the U.S., the championship game of the National Football League. Additionally, according to estimates from the Associated Press, during the tournament, Gianni Infantino traveled approximately 95,000 kilometers on a private Qatar Airways jet, attending 43 matches. This sparked accusations of hypocrisy amid FIFA's promises to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions.