‘Foul is foul’: FIFA reacts to allegations after Argentina-Egypt clash

FIFA's chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, strongly refuted "unfounded allegations" against World Cup match officials after Argentina's contentious 3-2 victory over Egypt in the round of 16. The Italian official defended the referees who oversaw the match in Atlanta, pushing back against accusations of malpractice made by Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan.

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

Hassan had speculated that the officiating team, led by French referee Francois Letexier, might have faced "external pressure" to favor Argentina. These claims arose after several decisions, including a disallowed Egyptian goal, went against the African team. The goal was overturned by VAR due to a foul detected much earlier in the build-up.

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Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.

Collina dismissed any suggestion of wrongdoing or a conspiracy to aid Argentina's World Cup campaign. "Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials," Collina stated on FIFA's official website. He emphasized that while constructive discussions about decisions are normal, baseless accusations are unacceptable and can lead to threats against officials and their families. Collina firmly stated that FIFA refereeing cannot be influenced by anyone, not even the FIFA President.

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Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA President (Gianni Infantino).

Despite Collina's defense, Egypt coach Hassan maintained his team suffered "injustice." He suggested that FIFA "wanted to keep the world champions in the competition" and perhaps "wanted Messi to stay in the running." Hassan alluded to "external factors that go beyond the technical aspects," claiming Argentina received support "at every level." Regarding the disallowed goal, Collina explained that VAR correctly intervened after spotting a foul in the build-up, regardless of its distance from the goal or timing, stating, "We believe that a foul is a foul."

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Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best.