FIFA refereeing chief dismisses bias claims over Argentina's win against Egypt

FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has defended the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 victory over Egypt in the World Cup Round of 16, rejecting allegations of bias and insisting match officials carried out their duties with complete independence.

In an interview published on FIFA's official website on Thursday, Collina said criticism of refereeing decisions was a natural part of football but condemned attempts to question the integrity of officials after Egypt lodged complaints over the match.

"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 warned that such accusations could expose referees and their families to threats and abuse.

Egypt crashed out of the tournament after surrendering a 2-0 lead, with Argentina completing a dramatic comeback through a stoppage-time winner from Enzo Fernández.

After the match, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan suggested the referee may have come under pressure to keep Argentina in the competition. The Egyptian Football Association also claimed that several key decisions raised serious concerns about the consistency and fairness of officiating.

Egypt argued that Mostafa Zico's second-half goal was wrongly disallowed for what it described as a non-existent foul in the build-up. The team also protested that Mohamed Salah was fouled moments before Argentina launched the move that led to the winning goal.

Collina said the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) had correctly advised the referee to overturn Zico's goal after detecting a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez during the attacking 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."

He also defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty before Argentina's winner, saying both the referee and VAR concluded that the contact between Salah and Julián Álvarez amounted to "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 remained satisfied with the way VAR protocols had been applied throughout the tournament.