FIFA's chief refereeing officer defends World Cup match officials amid allegations

The round of 16 clash between Argentina and Egypt saw some controversial decisions that led to a 3-2 comeback victory for La Albiceleste over the Pharaoes.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) lodged a formal complaint on Tuesday, demanding that the officials from their last-16 defeat be removed from the tournament. 

The EFA called for an investigation into what they termed "double standards" after two crucial second-half decisions went against them, allowing Argentina to rally from a 2-0 deficit.

Collina dismissed groundless allegations against referees at the World Cup, defending their decisions in games.

"Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport," Collina stated firmly. 

"Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right."

Following the match, Egypt's manager, Hossam Hassan, claimed his team was "treated unfairly" and had "suffered injustice". 

He speculated on the motives behind the officiating, saying, "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running."

Collina countered these suggestions, emphasising the independence of the refereeing body. "Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president [Gianni Infantino]," he said. 

"He has always shown his full support for FIFA Team One while trusting us to work with complete independence."

Breaking from the usual protocol of not commenting on specific incidents during a tournament, Collina addressed the two major points of contention from the Egypt-Argentina match.

"After every goal is scored, the VAR checks the attacking possession phase," Collina explained. "If a foul is identified in the build-up and is deemed to have had an impact on the goal, the VAR will recommend an on-field review. 

“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."

The second controversy involved a potential foul on Mohamed Salah in the Argentina penalty area, which was dismissed just moments before the world champions scored their stoppage-time winner.

He contrasted it with the earlier foul, stating, "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. 

“The referee and the VAR deemed it normal football contact between Egypt number 10 Mohamed Salah and Argentina number 9 Julian Alvarez."

He concluded by acknowledging the subjective nature of some calls but expressed satisfaction with the consistency of the officiating. 

"Of course, there will always be an element of subjectivity in some decisions, but we are happy with how this principle has been applied throughout the tournament."