Fan group launch stinging attack on Fifa over ‘World Cup that failed supporters’ with ‘serious concerns’ over next hosts

A FOOTBALL fan group has slammed Fifa for the 2026 World Cup and are already worried about what’s to come in 2030. Football Supporters Europe have taken aim at Fifa president Gianni Infantino, US president Donald Trump and Fifa as a whole in a statement. The supporters group has criticised both Infantino and President Trump Credit: Getty The Fifa president oversaw the most environmentally damanging tournament in sport’s history Credit: Getty It reads: “The 2026 World Cup should have been a celebration of the game and the supporters who give it life. “Instead, it has too often become a case study in what is so deeply wrong with football today.” Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Infantino has been widely criticised for allowing the tournament to become “Americanised” with the World Cup final half-time show on top of hydration breaks every quarter that turned into advertising opportunities. Football’s chief has also come under fire for racking up an extraordinary number of air miles during the tournament that directly contradicts Fifa’s climate strategy. The fan group released a statement chronicling all of the grave errors Fifa oversaw. It read: “The controversy around this World Cup of FIFA’s making has ranged from its bogus ‘Peace Prize’ to appease Donald Trump to the bending of its own rules to breaking point. “They changed the game’s identity beyond recognition with government interference in playing matters. “The quartering of matches with advert breaks masquerading as hydration breaks and the abandonment of a 15-minute half-time for a pop concert, Iran being barred entry into the US on non-match days, and the Balogun scandal being clearly visible low points. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Spain won the World Cup this year – and Trump insisted on hanging around the celebrations! Credit: Getty “FIFA walks away from this World Cup with its reputation with supporters totally shattered having opened a void for distrust.” The next World Cup will take place across six nations and three continents for the first time ever. Speaking from a European perspective, the FSE insists Spain and Portugal will present more problems for Fifa. It said: “For FSE and its members, the focus now turns to all six co-hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup (Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay). “From day one, the tournament must be planned with match-going supporters in mind. As a European organisation, we are acutely aware of the serious concerns for safety, security, and service standards at football matches in Spain and Portugal. “Supporters regularly report disproportionate policing, police violence, invasive body searches, poor communication, and inadequate supporter services. Too often, supporters are treated as risks to manage rather than guests to welcome. “If Spain and Portugal want to be successful World Cup co-hosts, these issues, as well as those from this summer’s World Cup, must be addressed. “These two countries are far behind the current European standards on fan dialogue and must adopt modern policies to bridge the gap. “Supporters from across the world will rightly expect safe, accessible, welcoming, and well-organised matchday experiences, and those standards are non-negotiable.” Comment now