France, July 20 -- The 2026 World Cup has been tainted by political pressure, racist abuse of players and the opening up to betting markets which paves the way to fraud, the Council's secretary general Alain Berset said Sunday.

A Swiss politician, who was twice a president of FIFA's home country Switzerland, Berset addressed an open letter to its formal working partner Fifa just hours before Sunday's final between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Spain went on to beat Argentina 1-0.

"The FIFA World Cup 2026 has raised question after question," he said. "The celebration will end tonight. The questions will not."

"The next crisis has already begun. It has two names: money and power," Berset said.

He described US Pres...