FIFA referee chief hits out at rigged World Cup claims: Nobody can question integrity

FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has rejected allegations of bias in Argentina's World Cup win over Egypt, insisting match officials acted independently and defending the VAR decisions that sparked controversy after the last-16 clash.

In Short

• FIFA backed VAR's decision to disallow Mostafa Zico's second-half goal
• Pierluigi Collina said Salah's challenge involved only normal football contact.
• Collina said nobody can question the integrity of FIFA World Cup referees

FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has strongly rejected allegations that Argentina received favourable treatment in their dramatic World Cup victory over Egypt, insisting that the integrity of match officials "cannot be questioned" and dismissing suggestions that refereeing decisions were influenced from outside.

Speaking in an interview published on FIFA's official website on Thursday, Collina defended the officiating team that oversaw Argentina's 3-2 round-of-16 win, a match that sparked criticism from Egypt following a series of contentious decisions.

Argentina came from two goals down to eliminate Egypt thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Enzo Fernandez, but the result was overshadowed by complaints from the Egyptian camp over key refereeing calls.

INTEGRITY DEFENDED

Collina said debate over refereeing decisions was a natural part of football but drew a firm line at allegations questioning the honesty or independence of match officials.

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

The former World Cup final referee also rejected suggestions that FIFA president Gianni Infantino, or anyone else within football's governing body, could influence officials.

"Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials," Collina said. "Nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president."

He warned that such accusations carried consequences beyond the pitch, arguing that questioning referees' integrity could expose officials and their families to abuse and threats.

FIFA BACKS VAR CALLS

Egypt's frustration centred on two pivotal moments during the second half.

The Egyptian Football Association argued that Mostafa Zico's goal should have stood, claiming there was no foul in the build-up, while coach Hossam Hassan suggested after the match that there may have been pressure to ensure Argentina remained in the tournament.

Collina dismissed those claims, explaining that VAR correctly intervened after identifying a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez during the attacking possession phase that led to Zico's strike.

"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."

FIFA also stood by the decision not to award Egypt a penalty moments before Argentina scored the winner. Egypt believed Mohamed Salah had been fouled, but Collina said both the on-field referee and VAR deemed the challenge by Julian Alvarez to be normal football contact after the defender had played the ball.

While acknowledging that refereeing decisions will always involve an element of interpretation, Collina said FIFA remained satisfied with the application of VAR throughout the tournament and maintained that the technology had been used in line with the competition's officiating principles.

The comments represent FIFA's strongest response yet to allegations surrounding the Argentina-Egypt clash, with Collina insisting the tournament's officials had carried out their duties independently despite the criticism that followed one of the World Cup's most controversial knockout matches.

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