2026 World Cup: FIFA denounces ‘unfounded accusations’ against refereeing standards after Argentina-Egypt clash

FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina has criticized “unfounded accusations” against World Cup match officials in the wake of Argentina’s controversial last-16 victory over Egypt.

In comments on the official FIFA website, Collina defended the officials who oversaw Argentina’s 3-2 win in Atlanta and who were accused of malpractice by Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan.

Hassan speculated that the match’s officiating team, led by French referee Francois Letexier, may have been subject to «external pressure» to favor Argentina.

The claims came after a series of decisions went against the Egyptians, including a goal disallowed by VAR due to a foul committed much earlier in the action at the other end of the pitch.

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However, Collina rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing or a conspiracy to support Argentina’s World Cup campaign.

“Of course, a constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded accusations have no place in our sport,” Collina said.

«No one can question the integrity of FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it could provoke reactions leading to threats against them and their families. This is not right.»

“No one can argue that the FIFA referee can be influenced by anyone, not even the FIFA president (Gianni Infantino).

“Match officials make fair decisions and, like players and coaches, always try to do their best.”

Egyptian coach Hassan said his team had fallen victim to “injustice” by officials.

«We have been unfairly cheated today, we have suffered injustice,» Hassan said after his team’s loss, suggesting FIFA «wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Maybe they wanted Messi to stay in the race.»

«In football there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champion had support at every level,» Hassan said. BeIn Sports.

But on the specific case of the decision to disallow Mostafa Zico’s brilliant goal, which would have given Egypt a 2-0 lead, Collina said the referees had acted correctly after VAR spotted a foul in the build-up.

“If an error is identified during the build-up and it has had an impact on the goal, VAR will recommend an on-field review,” the Italian said. “There is no defined limit regarding the distance to the target or the amount of time between the incident and the target.

«We believe that a foul is a foul. Regardless of whether the foul seems ‘obvious’, if the referee has not seen it on the field of play, VAR can intervene.»

Published on July 9, 2026