FIFA Refereeing Chief Rejects Bias Claims After Argentina's Victory Over Egypt
FIFA's chief of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, has strongly dismissed allegations that match officials favored Lionel Messi and Argentina during their dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.
The response came after Egypt's players, coaching staff, and football federation questioned several key refereeing decisions following the match, suggesting the officiating unfairly benefited the defending world champions.
Egypt's Complaints
Egypt argued that several major decisions influenced the outcome of the match, including:
- A second-half goal by Mostafa Zico that was ruled out after a VAR review for a foul in the build-up.
- A penalty appeal involving Mohamed Salah that was waved away shortly before Argentina scored the winning goal.
- Claims that several other decisions consistently favored Argentina.
Following the defeat, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan publicly questioned the fairness of the officiating, while the Egyptian Football Association lodged an official complaint with FIFA regarding the referee and the use of VAR.
Collina Defends Referees and VAR
Collina firmly rejected suggestions that FIFA or any outside influence affected the officials' decisions.
He stressed that FIFA World Cup referees operate independently and that "constructive discussion" about decisions is part of football, but unfounded accusations against officials have no place in the sport. He also emphasized that nobody—including FIFA President Gianni Infantino—can influence refereeing decisions.
Regarding the controversial incidents, Collina explained that VAR correctly intervened to disallow Egypt's goal because a foul occurred earlier in the attacking phase. He also defended the decision not to award Egypt a late penalty, saying officials judged the challenge between Mohamed Salah and Julián Álvarez to be normal football contact rather than a foul.
Warning Over Attacks on Match Officials
Collina warned that questioning referees' integrity without evidence can have serious consequences.
He said such accusations may lead to threats and abuse directed at referees and their families, adding that FIFA remains fully confident in the professionalism and independence of its match officials throughout the tournament.
Argentina March On
Despite the controversy, Argentina completed a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to defeat Egypt 3-2 and advance to the World Cup quarter-finals.
Lionel Messi played a key role in the turnaround as the defending champions kept their hopes of retaining the FIFA World Cup alive. Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Key Takeaways
- FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina rejected claims of bias toward Argentina.
- Egypt criticized several refereeing and VAR decisions following its Round of 16 defeat.
- FIFA defended both the referee and the VAR process, saying the key decisions were correctly applied.
- Collina said referees are independent and cannot be influenced by FIFA officials.
- Argentina advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals after a 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt.
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