FIFA’s Head of Refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, has dismissed allegations of bias following Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting that match officials acted with independence and integrity.
In an interview published on FIFA’s official website on Thursday, July 9, 2026, Collina responded to complaints from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and head coach Hossam Hassan after Tuesday’s Round of 16 clash, where Argentina recovered from a two-goal deficit before Enzo Fernandez scored a stoppage-time winner.
The EFA had called for a review of key officiating decisions, while Hassan questioned whether there was pressure to ensure Argentina and captain Lionel Messi remained in the tournament.
Collina rejected the allegations, saying while refereeing decisions will always attract debate, questioning the integrity of match officials without evidence has no place in football.
He maintained that FIFA referees operate independently and cannot be influenced by the organisation’s leadership or any external interests.
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Defending the VAR decision that ruled out Mostafa Zico’s goal, Collina said the intervention was justified after officials identified an earlier foul by Marwan Attia on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez during the attacking phase.
On Egypt’s appeal for a foul involving Mohamed Salah before Argentina’s winning goal, Collina said the referee and VAR determined that Julian Alvarez had fairly played the ball and that the contact was normal in-game action.
Although acknowledging that some decisions will remain open to interpretation, Collina said FIFA is satisfied with the overall standard of refereeing and the application of VAR during the tournament.
The result propelled defending champions Argentina into the quarter-finals, while Egypt’s World Cup campaign ended with the defeat.