Pierluigi Collina: ‘Nobody Can Question the Integrity of World Cup Officials’
Collina said FIFA officials could not be influenced and defended VAR after Egypt complained about key decisions in the 3-2 defeat.
- On Thursday, FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 World Cup victory over Egypt, dismissing bias allegations and stating match officials operate with complete independence.
- The Egyptian Football Association demanded French referee Francois Letexier be sent home after Tuesday's loss, claiming "several key incidents raised serious concerns" about the consistency and fairness of decisions.
- Collina said VAR correctly disallowed Mostafa Zico's goal after Marwan Attia stepped on Lisandro Martinez's foot, and deemed contact between Mohamed Salah and Julian Alvarez to be "normal football contact."
- Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan suggested potential bias, stating, "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition," while Collina condemned questioning officials' integrity as it provokes threats.
- This follows controversy over FIFA's decision to suspend a one-game ban for United States striker Folarin Balogun after Donald Trump intervened; Collina insisted FIFA refereeing cannot be influenced by anyone.
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Pierluigi Collina, responsible for the arbitration in FIFA, defended the "integrity" of the World Cup 2026 and justified the decisions of French referee François Letexier, criticized by Egypt after its elimination at the hands of Argentina. "Of course, a constructive debate on decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded accusations have no place in our sport.
The Italian FIFA chief referee responded forcefully to the Egyptians' accusations regarding the refereeing of the match against Argentina for the round of 16 of the World Cup
The highest reference authority at the global level places the shield in the face of accusations about the integrity of the judges he directs.
The director of Arbitration and chairman of the FIFA Board of Arbitrators, Pierluigi Collina, said that the decisions of French collegiate François Letexier in the match between Argentina and Egypt for the eighth of the final of the 2026 World Cup were correct. In addition, the former judge made it clear that the arbitration collective “is not allowed to be influenced by anyone”, not even by the president of the world’s highest football organiza…
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