FIFA's refereeing chief, Pierluigi Collina, has robustly defended the officiating during Argentina's contentious 3-2 World Cup win against Egypt, refuting allegations of bias and asserting the complete independence of match officials amidst a storm of criticism.
Key Points
- FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 World Cup victory over Egypt, dismissing allegations of bias.
- Collina condemned questioning officials' integrity, stating that such allegations could provoke threats against referees and their families.
- Egypt complained of unfair treatment, alleging pressure on the referee after Argentina overturned a 2-0 deficit with a stoppage-time winner.
- Collina confirmed VAR correctly overturned Mostafa Zico's goal due to a foul on Lisandro Martinez and defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty before Argentina's winning goal.
- FIFA expressed satisfaction with how VAR principles were applied throughout the tournament, despite acknowledging some subjective decisions.
In an interview published on inside.fifa.com on Thursday, Collina said criticism of referees was part of football but he condemned the questioning of the officials' integrity after Egypt complained about the officiating following the defeat.
Collina Rejects Unfounded Allegations
"Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport," Collina said.
"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)."
Collina said that such allegations could provoke threats against referees and their families.
Egypt's Complaints and Key Incidents
Egypt exited the tournament but claimed they had been treated unfairly after Argentina overturned a 2-0 deficit to snatch victory with a stoppage-time winner from Enzo Fernandez.
Coach Hossam Hassan alleged after the match there may have been pressure on the referee to keep Argentina in the tournament. And the Egyptian Football Association said "several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game."
Egypt argued that Mostafa Zico's second-half strike was incorrectly ruled out for what it described as a non-existent foul in the build-up. Egypt were also incensed that a challenge on Mohamed Salah was not penalised moments before Argentina launched the move that produced the winning goal.
VAR Decisions Defended
FIFA's Collina said VAR had correctly recommended overturning Zico's goal after identifying a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez during the attacking possession phase.
"We believe that a foul is a foul," Collina said. "Regardless of whether the foul appears 'obvious', if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene."
Collina also defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty before Argentina's winner, saying both the referee and VAR judged the contact between Salah and Julian Alvarez to be "normal football contact".
"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," he said.
While acknowledging that some decisions would always involve an element of subjectivity, Collina said FIFA was satisfied with how VAR principles had been applied throughout the tournament.
More News Coverage
More From Rediff
Mbappe misses penalty as France, Morocco goalless at half-time
Czech Mate! Noskova Sets Up All-Czech Wimbledon Final
Kushare Set for Diamond League Debut After Record Jump
Related Stories
Find out why the FIFA president is fuming...
- FIFA unable to protect itself now, says ex-investigator
- FIFA official Valcke hits back over $10 mln transactions
- All you need to know about reforms to be voted on by FIFA
- We did not block FIFA reforms: UEFA
Web Stories Hosa Marigudi: A Temple With A 15 Kg Gold Throne! 5 Memorable Chocolate Factory Tours 8 Weird Football Terms
FIFA World Cup 2026
Source: Rediff.com
