Collina Backs VAR Decisions in Argentina’s Win Over Egypt

FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has defended the officiating in Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, rejecting allegations of bias and insisting that match officials acted with complete independence throughout the contest.

In an interview published on FIFA’s official website on Thursday, Collina acknowledged that refereeing decisions are always open to debate but said questioning the integrity of officials was unacceptable and could expose referees and their families to threats.

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

He also dismissed suggestions that FIFA referees could be influenced by external figures, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

‘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,’ he added.

Egypt exited the tournament after surrendering a two-goal lead, with Argentina completing a comeback through a stoppage-time winner by Enzo Fernandez. Following the defeat, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan suggested there may have been pressure on the referee to keep Argentina in the competition.

The Egyptian Football Association also expressed dissatisfaction with the officiating, stating that several key incidents raised serious concerns about the consistency and fairness of decisions that it believed directly influenced the outcome of the match.

Among the incidents highlighted by Egypt was the disallowed second-half goal scored by Mostafa Zico, which was overturned following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review. Egypt maintained that the foul identified in the build-up did not occur.

Collina, however, said VAR correctly intervened after detecting a foul committed by Marwan Attia on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez during the attacking possession phase.

‘We believe that a foul is a foul. Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’, if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene,’ he said.

Collina also defended the decision not to award Egypt a penalty in the moments before Argentina’s winning goal. Egyptian players appealed after Mohamed Salah went to ground following contact with Julian Alvarez, but both the referee and VAR determined the incident amounted to normal football contact rather than a foul.

‘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,’ Collina explained.

While acknowledging that some refereeing decisions will always involve an element of subjectivity, Collina said FIFA remains satisfied with the application of VAR protocols throughout the tournament and stands by the decisions made during the Argentina-Egypt encounter.