FIFA Referee Chief Defends VAR Calls in Argentina's Comeback Win Over Egypt

FIFA's chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, has rejected accusations that match officials favored Argentina during their World Cup round of 16 clash with Egypt. Collina made the comments in an interview published on FIFA's website on Thursday, insisting referees acted independently throughout the game.

Argentina won the match 3-2 after trailing 2-0 with just 11 minutes left to play. Enzo Fernandez scored the winning goal in stoppage time, sending Egypt out of the tournament. Egypt's team and coaching staff have since accused officials of unfair treatment.

What Egypt is disputing

Egypt's complaints centered on two key moments in the second half:

• A goal by Mostafa Zico was disallowed after VAR flagged a foul in the buildup, which Egypt says never happened.
• No penalty was given for a challenge on Mohamed Salah moments before Argentina began the attack that led to their winning goal.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan went further, suggesting the referee may have faced pressure to keep Argentina in the competition. He said his team was "cheated" out of a quarterfinal spot. The Egyptian Football Association also spoke out, saying it would not stay quiet about what it called improper use of VAR.

Collina's response

Collina addressed both disputed calls directly. On the disallowed goal, he said VAR was right to intervene after spotting a foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina's Lisandro Martinez during the buildup.

"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."

• Pierluigi Collina, FIFA chief refereeing officer

On the non-penalty for the Salah incident, Collina said both the on-field referee and the VAR team viewed the contact with Julian Alvarez as ordinary football contact, not 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."

• Pierluigi Collina, FIFA chief refereeing officer

No room for integrity questions, Collina says

Collina acknowledged that criticism of referees is a normal part of the sport, especially given the packed World Cup schedule.

"With such a high number of matches played in a relatively short period of time, it is normal that some things do not go as expected. When that happens, they are ready to work even harder to ensure they are fully prepared for the next match."

• Pierluigi Collina, FIFA chief refereeing officer

But he drew a clear line between fair criticism and accusations that question officials' honesty. He warned that such claims can lead to threats against referees and their families.

"Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president."

• Pierluigi Collina, FIFA chief refereeing officer

He added that match officials, like players and coaches, are simply trying to do their best. While admitting some calls will always carry an element of judgment, Collina said FIFA remains satisfied with how VAR has been applied across the tournament.

Key facts at a glance

• Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16 after trailing 2-0 with 11 minutes left.
• Enzo Fernandez scored the winning goal in stoppage time.
• Egypt disputes a disallowed Mostafa Zico goal and a non-penalty call on Mohamed Salah.
• Collina says VAR correctly flagged Marwan Attia's foul on Lisandro Martinez.
• Collina says the Salah-Alvarez contact was judged normal football contact by both the referee and VAR.
• Collina denies any outside influence on officiating, including from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.