The head of the FIFA arbitration committee rejects allegations of bias in Argentina’s victory over Egypt

Pierluigi Collina, head of the FIFA arbitration committee, defended He officiated the 3-2 match between Argentina and Egypt in the World Cup Round of 16, he denied allegations of bias and said that the match referees worked completely independently.

In an interview published on inside. fifa.com On Thursday (July 9, 2026), Collina said that criticizing referees is part of football, but he condemned questioning the integrity of the referees after Egypt complained about the arbitration following the defeat.

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

“No one can question the integrity of FIFA World Cup referees… No one can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even FIFA President (Gianni Infantino).”

Collina said such allegations could spark threats against governors and their families.

Egypt was eliminated from the tournament but claimed that it was subjected to unfair treatment after Argentina overcame a 2-0 deficit to snatch victory with a stoppage-time goal from Enzo Fernandez.

Coach Hossam Hassan claimed after the match that there may have been pressure on the referee to keep Argentina in the tournament. The Egyptian Football Association said, “Several key events raised serious concerns and left deep questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly affected the course of the match.”

Egypt argued that Mostafa Zico’s goal in the second half was incorrectly ruled out due to what it described as a non-existent error in the build-up. Egypt was also angry that a challenge with Mohamed Salah was not counted moments before Argentina made the move that led to the winning goal.

FIFA’s Collina said that the Video Assistant Referee correctly recommended canceling Zico’s goal after discovering a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez during the offensive possession phase.

“We think it’s a mistake,” Colina said. “Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’, if the referee does not see it on the field of play, VAR can intervene.”

Collina also defended the decision not to award a penalty kick to Egypt before Argentina’s win, saying that the referee and VAR considered the contact between Salah and Julian Alvarez to be “normal football contact.”

He added: “Stepping on the opponent’s foot is considered a mistake, while the defender who touches the ball first and then makes natural contact with the football does not commit a mistake.”

While acknowledging that some decisions will always involve an element of subjectivity, Collina said FIFA was satisfied with how VAR principles were applied throughout the tournament.