New Delhi, July 20 -- STRASBOURG - Alain Berset did not watch the 2026 World Cup final as a celebration. He released a statement instead, questioning whether the tournament's governing body had bent its own rules to accommodate a phone call from the President of the United States.

a red card suspension reversed under what he described as political pressure, racist abuse from elected officials that went largely unanswered, and a gambling apparatus that had expanded so granularly it now covers "every pass, every card, every corner." He proposed an integrity framework for the 2030 World Cup, to be agreed before the first ball is kicked. FIFA has not responded.

The immediate catalyst was Folarin Balogun. The American striker received a red ...