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No Refereeing Bias in Argentina's Win Over Egypt, FIFA's Collina States

From Ghanaian Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • FIFA's head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, defended the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 World Cup win over Egypt.
  • Collina dismissed Egypt's claims of bias, stating that match officials operated independently and that VAR correctly intervened on key decisions.
  • Egypt had complained about several incidents, including a disallowed goal and a potential penalty not awarded, which they felt unfairly influenced the game's outcome.

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA's chief of refereeing, has strongly defended the officials who oversaw Argentina's controversial 3-2 victory against Egypt in the World Cup round of 16. Collina dismissed allegations of bias, asserting that the match officials operated with complete independence.

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

— Pierluigi CollinaCollina addressed the nature of football criticism versus unfounded accusations.

In an interview with inside.fifa.com, Collina acknowledged that referee criticism is a common part of football but condemned Egypt's questioning of the officials' integrity following their defeat. "Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport," Collina stated. He emphasized that "nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials" or claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, including the FIFA president.

Collina also highlighted the potential dangers of such accusations, noting they could provoke threats against referees and their families. Egypt had expressed significant dissatisfaction with the officiating, particularly after Argentina came back from a 2-0 deficit to secure a win with a late goal. Coach Hossam Hassan had suggested possible pressure on the referee to favor Argentina, while the Egyptian Football Association cited "several key incidents" that raised serious concerns about the consistency and fairness of decisions.

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).

— Pierluigi CollinaCollina strongly asserted the independence and integrity of FIFA's referees.

Specifically, Egypt contested the disallowing of Mostafa Zico's second-half goal, which they described as being for a "non-existent foul." They were also incensed that a challenge on Mohamed Salah was not penalized moments before Argentina scored the winning goal. Collina explained that VAR had correctly recommended overturning Zico's goal after identifying a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina's Lisandro Martinez during the attacking phase.

We believe that a foul is a foul.

— Pierluigi CollinaCollina explained FIFA's stance on the VAR intervention that disallowed Egypt's goal.

Regarding the penalty incident, Collina defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty, stating that both the on-field referee and VAR judged the contact between Salah and Argentina's Julian Alvarez as "normal football contact." He clarified that while stepping on an opponent's foot constitutes a foul, a defender making "normal football contact" after touching the ball first does not. Collina concluded by saying FIFA is satisfied with the application of VAR principles throughout the tournament, while acknowledging that some decisions inherently involve subjectivity.

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.

— Pierluigi CollinaCollina clarified the distinction between a foul and normal contact in football, relating to the penalty incident.
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Originally published by Ghanaian Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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