FIFA refereeing chief rejects claims of bias in Argentina’s win over Egypt

FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has strongly defended the officiating in Argentina's controversial 3-2 World Cup victory over Egypt. He dismissed allegations of bias, asserting that match officials operated with complete independence.

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Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport.

Collina's remarks came after the Egyptian Football Association lodged a complaint, citing "several key incidents" that raised "profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions." Egypt was particularly incensed by a second-half strike by Mostafa Zico being disallowed and a challenge on Mohamed Salah not being penalized before Argentina's winning goal.

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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).

In an interview with inside.fifa.com, Collina acknowledged that criticism is part of football but condemned the questioning of officials' integrity. "Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials," he stated, adding that such claims could endanger referees and their families. He specifically addressed the disallowed goal, explaining that VAR correctly identified a foul in the build-up, and defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty, deeming the contact between Salah and Julian Alvarez as "normal football contact."

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We believe that a foul is a foul. Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’, if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene.

Despite Egypt's exit from the tournament, their coach Hossam Hassan had alleged potential pressure on the referee to keep Argentina in the competition. Collina, however, maintained that FIFA was satisfied with the application of VAR principles throughout the tournament, emphasizing that a foul is a foul, regardless of whether it is obvious.

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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.