Pierluigi Collina said such allegations of bias could lead to threats against referees and their families.
Published July 9, 2026
FIFA referee president Pierluigi Collina has defended the refereeing of Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the World Cup round of 16, denying allegations of bias and saying match officials operated with complete independence.
In an interview posted on FIFA’s website on Thursday, Colina said criticism of referees is part of soccer, but criticized the referee’s integrity after Egypt complained about his officiating after the defeat.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
“With so many matches being played in a relatively short period of time, it’s normal for things to not go as expected,” Colina said. “When that happens, they (umpires) are ready to go the extra mile to be fully prepared for the next game.
“Of course, constructive debate over decisions is always part of football, but unsubstantiated claims have no place in our sport.”
Mr Collina said such allegations could lead to intimidation against referees and their families.
“No one can question the integrity of FIFA World Cup match officials…Similarly, no one can claim that FIFA referees are influenced by anyone, not even the FIFA president (Gianni Infantino),” he added.
“Match officials make honest decisions and, like players and coaches, always strive to do their best.”
Egypt were expelled from the competition but claimed they had been unfairly treated after Argentina overturned a 2-0 deficit with 11 minutes remaining and snatched victory with Enzo Fernandes’ winning goal in stoppage time.
Coach Hossam Hassan claimed after the match that there may have been pressure on the referee to keep Argentina in the competition and that Egypt had been “cheated” into missing out on a place in the quarter-finals.
The Egyptian Football Association also criticized the referee’s decision, saying it would not remain silent about the alleged inappropriate use of the video assistant referee (VAR) system.
Egypt claimed that Mostafa Zico’s late shot was incorrectly ruled out as a non-existent foul during the build-up. Egypt was also furious that a challenge on Mohamed Salah was not penalized just before Argentina began the move that produced the winning goal.
FIFA’s Colina said VAR correctly recommended Zico’s goal be overturned after Marwan Attia was confirmed for a foul on Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez during the possession phase of the attack.
“We believe a foul is a foul,” Collina said. “Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’ or not, VAR may intervene if the referee did not see the foul on the field.”
Colina also defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty before Argentina’s winner, saying both the referee and VAR had determined that the contact between Salah and Julián Alvarez was “normal football contact”.
“It is a foul to step on an opponent’s foot, but a defender who first touches the ball and then makes normal soccer contact has not committed a foul,” he said.
Collina said FIFA was satisfied with how VAR principles were applied throughout the tournament, although he acknowledged that there will always be an element of subjectivity in some decisions.
