FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has hit out at those questioning the integrity of the World Cup officials, insisting that they cannot be influenced by anyone.
The standard of officiating has come under focus at times during this World Cup and that was intensified following Tuesday’s gripping last-16 tie between Argentina and Egypt.
Reigning champions Argentina battled back from 2-0 after 78 minutes to win 3-2 in Atlanta, with Egypt manager Hossam Hassan later accusing FIFA of rigging the World Cup in favour of Argentina’s talisman Lionel Messi.
Hassan’s protestations were magnified also by footage showing him angrily waiting to confront Argentina inside the tunnel after the full-time whistle too.
Addressing criticisms towards the officiating, Collina rubbished the allegations towards his staff and pinpointed the wider ramifications it has on the accused individuals.
Asked by FIFA.com how he has viewed the World Cup so far, the FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer said: ‘Let’s start by saying that we have now played 50 per cent more matches than at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and there are still eight more huge games to be played.
FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina has defended the under-fire World Cup officials
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan furiously accused FIFA of rigging the World Cup after his side were knocked out by Argentina in the last 16
Egypt goalkeeper coach Saafan El-Sagheer was sent off after the bench reacted furiously to Enzo Fernandez’s winning goal for Argentina, as they fumed at multiple decisions against them
‘Overall, we are happy. However, 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.
‘Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport. 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.
‘Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA President [Gianni Infantino]. He has always shown his full support for FIFA Team One while trusting us to work with complete independence. Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best.’
Collina’s viewpoint differs strongly with Hassan’s who was fuming at the outcome of the match.
After Enzo Fernandez’s stoppage-time winner, chaos ensued with Egypt’s furious staff remonstrated with referee Francois Letexier, leading to goalkeeper coach Saafan El-Sagheer being shown a red card and Hassan being dragged away from a confrontation with the official.
The Pharaohs were furious that the referee – and also VAR – had not awarded Egypt a penalty moments before Argentina’s winner, as Mohamed Salah was brought down inside the box after having his foot clipped by Julian Alvarez.
Earlier in the second half, Egypt themselves had a goal disallowed by VAR due to a foul in the build-up. Throughout the game, a string of decisions went in favour of Argentina, who have now progressed to the quarter-finals as they bid to retain their crown in North America.
After the match, Hassan could not contain his outrage and furiously accused world football’s governing body FIFA of rigging the tournament so that all-time great Messi could remain in the competition for ‘marketing reasons’.
‘We were better, but football is unfair,’ the heartbroken coach said in his post-match interview.
‘It could be a matter of marketing, they could want to make a World Cup with the champion of the last World Cup, they want Messi to exist (in the tournament).
‘I thank my players very much. To all the Egyptians, the Arabs, the Africans, you can work hard, it’s what you have to do, but sometimes there are other factors that make you struggle.
‘I wish we could be happier with the loss, but with a severe loss like today I say to them (my players) be upset. We wish we could be happier. Thank God for everything but football is different from what happens in the stadium when we are playing against the world champions.
‘There is support from all directions for the world champions. Support and marketing.’
He added later: ‘Why isn’t there any fairness in sport? In football? I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.’
Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to a dramatic late comeback as the World Cup holders won 3-2
Hassan went on to claim that the result was influenced by ‘internal’ and ‘external’ factors and that Egypt had objected to the selection of Letexier as referee.
Egypt were furious at having a goal disallowed when leading 1-0 during the game, and later showed similar expressions of anger and disbelief after Salah was penalised for a soft foul that would otherwise have seen him charge through on goal for a one-on-one opportunity.
As the touchline bust-up at the end of the game broke out following Fernandez’s winner, Hassan made a gesture that is typically used to draw a referee’s attention to an accusation of racism, holding his hands aloft in an X shape.
It is unclear if Hassan was alleging a specific incident had occurred or whether he was protesting more generally against injustice and the controversial decisions that had gone in favour of Argentina.
Messi, who is widely regarded as the greatest footballer to have graced the game and steered Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022, is spending the last years of his glittering career in the US as a veteran for David Beckham’s Inter Miami.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has already drawn controversy over the World Cup’s integrity after his institution agreed to suspend USA forward Folarin Balogun’s red card following a phone call with Donald Trump, has been targeted with accusations of bias by fans amid Argentina’s World Cup success during his tenure.
The Swiss football chief, who has struck a friendship with Mr Trump after awarding the President with FIFA’s inaugural peace prize in 2025, raised eyebrows when he joyfully congratulated Argentina following their narrow last-32 win over Cape Verde – and immediately backpedalled by insisting he is neutral.
Ahead of Switzerland’s last-16 penalty shootout win over Colombia in Vancouver, Infantino raised an Egyptian flag aloft in a possible attempt to rubbish accusations of favouritism towards Argentina after their late comeback.
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino lifted an Egyptian flag aloft in Vancouver shortly after the country’s elimination
It is important to note that, despite claims online, no evidence has emerged to support allegations of corruption or match manipulation against FIFA or Infantino.
The first big decision made by referee Letexier during Egypt’s defeat was to award Argentina a penalty during the first half, although the Pharaohs should have few complaints about the spot-kick, which was ultimately missed by Messi.
In what was another thrilling round of 16 clash at the World Cup, Yasser Ibrahim put Egypt ahead after just 15 minutes, before Mostafa Ziko doubled their advantage midway through the second half.
Ziko added fuel to the fire after the game by describing Letexier as an ‘unjust’ referee.
‘Referee, not fair,’ he said in tears during his post-match interview. ‘Unjust, unjust referee. An unjust person. An injustice that is so clear.
‘He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation. Since the beginning of the game, we were leaving the game winning 2-0 against Argentina. But the cup has already been given.’
‘I apologise to (the Egypt fans). We wanted to make them happy today. We didn’t know how to do that. But, by God, it’s not in our hands; it’s in the hands of the referee. The cup has already been decided.
‘Congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup. Congratulations. You don’t need anything else.’
Mostafa Ziko, who netted Egypt’s second goal, congratulated Argentina on already winning the World Cup, claiming that the holders have been shown favouritism by ‘unjust’ referees
Shortly after the game in Atlanta, FIFA confirmed that all officials for France’s quarter-final against Morocco will be Argentinian – the first time this tournament that all match referees will be from the same country, sparking more allegations of favouritism.
Some fans noted in the fallout of Egypt’s defeat that Argentina have been awarded a remarkable eight penalties in their last 12 World Cup matches, with spot-kicks proving crucial to their triumph in Qatar in 2022.
Argentina will face either Switzerland in the World Cup quarter-finals before a potential showdown with England in the semi-finals, should Harry Kane and Co prevail against Erling Haaland’s Norway on Saturday.
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