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FIFA’s head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, has firmly defended the officials who handled Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. As the African side complained of unfair treatment, Collina has dismissed those claims, affirming that the match was not influenced by biased refereeing. In a recent interview with FIFA, he stressed that officials perform their duties independently and make decisions without external influence. He acknowledged that criticism is an unavoidable part of football but insisted that questioning the integrity of match officials crosses the line.
His comments came after Egypt voiced frustration over several decisions following their heartbreaking elimination from the World Cup. The Pharaohs surrendered a two-goal advantage before Argentina completed a stunning comeback in the second half, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the decisive winner deep into stoppage time.
Collina warned that unfounded accusations against referees could have serious consequences, potentially exposing officials and their families to abuse and threats. He reiterated FIFA’s support for its referees and emphasised the importance of protecting their credibility and safety.
Collina stated, “Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport.”
“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials … Nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president Gianni Infantino,” he added.
Collina Explains Referee’s Calls In Argentina vs Egypt Knockout Clash
Coach Hossam Hassan alleged after the match that there may have been pressure on the referee to keep Argentina in the tournament. And the Egyptian Football Association said, “several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game.”
Egypt argued that Mostafa Zico’s second-half strike was incorrectly ruled out for what it described as a non-existent foul in the build-up. Egypt were also incensed that a challenge on Mohamed Salah was not penalised moments before Argentina launched the move that produced the winning goal.
FIFA’s Collina said VAR had correctly recommended overturning Zico’s goal after identifying a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez during the attacking possession phase.
“We believe that a foul is a foul,” Collina said. “Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’, if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene.”
Collina also defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty before Argentina’s winner, saying both the referee and VAR judged the contact between Salah and Julian Alvarez to be “normal football contact”.
“Stepping on an opponent’s foot is a foul, whereas a defender who touches the ball first and then makes normal football contact has not committed a foul,” he said.
While acknowledging that some decisions would always involve an element of subjectivity, Collina said FIFA was satisfied with how VAR principles had been applied throughout the tournament.
