Collina defends VAR decision in Croatia-Portugal match: 'It was the head, not the hair'

Pierluigi Collina, a renowned former referee and current head of FIFA's refereeing organization, has addressed a contentious handball incident during a match between Portugal and Croatia, defending the use of technology in football officiating.

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Here the graph spoke very clearly. You see a peak when the ball touches the head of the Croatian attacker, then a flat line, then a new peak when the ball hits the back of the Portuguese defender.

The situation in question involved a cross that potentially struck Croatian forward Igor Matanović. Collina explained that the technology used in the match clearly indicated contact with the player's head, not his hair, as some had debated. He presented a graph showing distinct peaks as the ball made contact with the head and later with a Portuguese defender's back, clarifying that the system registers contact with the head, not hair.

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Since the system does not register contact with hair, the recorded peak is the result of the ball contacting the head.

Collina argued that technology serves as a crucial tool for referees, enabling more precise decisions. He likened the situation to spectators having multiple viewing angles while the decision-maker has only one, advocating for providing referees with the same technological advantages. "We had two options: create an Amish community where technology is forbidden or give the same possibility to referees," he stated.

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We had two options: create an Amish community where technology is forbidden or give the same possibility to referees.

While FIFA invests heavily in technological advancements, Collina expressed a hope that these tools would be used less frequently, signifying that referees are making correct decisions independently. He dismissed the notion that technology diminishes the emotional aspect of football, asserting that it is a "historical untruth." Collina believes that emotions should stem from correct decisions rather than prolonged debates over controversial calls, citing the famous 1966 World Cup final goal as an example of a decision still discussed decades later.

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The claim that technology kills emotions is a historical untruth.