E fundit!

10:51 TODAY

Strike on the Greek side, movement in Kakavija temporarily suspended on Monday

Movement at the Kakavija Border Crossing Point will be tem...

The foundations of the 2026 World Cup are shaking / From match-fixing to Trump's interference

2026-07-23 18:34:00, Sport CNA

The foundations of the 2026 World Cup are shaking / From match-fixing to

The 2026 World Cup has been embroiled in a series of controversies, after a report prepared by the "Copenhagen Group", which monitors integrity in sport, raised suspicions of unusual episodes in several matches of the tournament.

According to international media, the document contains several alerts related to arbitration decisions, unusual movements in the betting market and possible interference that may have influenced the development of the matches. The full report has not yet been made public.

One of the most discussed issues relates to United States forward Folarin Balogun.

His conviction was allegedly overturned after an intervention reportedly coming from high-level political figures, including US President Donald Trump. There is no public evidence to support this claim.

The match between Spain and Cape Verde, which ended in a 0-0 draw, has also attracted attention. It is reported that before the match, bets worth around $4.8 million were placed in favor of the scenario that Spain would not win, which has prompted discussions about the possibility of manipulation, although there is no official confirmation of any violations.

Another episode mentioned is that of the Spain-Saudi Arabia match, where the cancellation of a goal by Ferran Torres after a VAR check that lasted about three and a half minutes was considered one of the moments that raised the most questions.

The report also mentions the match between Mexico and South Africa, where Themba Zwane's red card is included among the cases that, according to the media, are being analyzed by investigators.

FIFA, on the other hand, has denied the existence of elements that would indicate manipulation. In its official response, the organization emphasizes that the Integrity Task Force monitored all 104 matches of the tournament in real time and did not find any suspicious activity in the betting market or evidence that would suggest match-fixing.

The possible publication of the full report is expected to clarify whether these are well-founded suspicions or just allegations that require further verification./ CNA