Collina Dismisses Accusations, Explains Two Controversial Decisions in Argentina-Egypt Match

Following Egypt's elimination from the World Cup at the hands of Argentina, and the sharp accusations that ensued, FIFA's head of referees, Pierluigi Collina, has issued a further clarification. In an interview with the official FIFA website, he vehemently dismissed the serious allegations from the Egyptian camp and defended referee François Letexier's decisions in two crucial situations: the disallowed goal for the Africans that would have made it 2-0, and the unawarded penalty for a foul on Salah just before Argentina's winning goal for 3-2. According to the Italian, the referee made the correct call in both instances. However, Collina remained silent on Egypt's claims of a hold in the penalty area.

Egypt's coach, Hossam Hassan, among other things, spoke of a "completely manipulated match" and expressed suspicion that someone wanted to see Lionel Messi advance further in the tournament. Argentina managed to overturn a 0-2 deficit to secure a 3-2 victory.

"No one can claim that FIFA's refereeing department can be influenced by anyone, not even the FIFA president," Collina clarified. He added that Gianni Infantino always believes "that we operate completely independently."

"Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but baseless accusations have no place in our sport," Collina further emphasized. "No one should question the integrity of World Cup officials. When something like this happens, it can provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right."

Three decisions infuriated the Egyptians: a goal for the "Pharaohs" was disallowed due to a foul on Lisandro Martinez during the build-up; shortly before Argentina's winning goal for 3-2, there was an uncalled contact between Julián Álvarez and Mohamed Salah in Argentina's penalty area; and with the score at 2-2, Hamdi Fathi of Egypt was held by Alexis Mac Allister, which could have resulted in a penalty.

Collina's assessment: "After every goal scored, VAR checks the attacking phase of possession. If an infringement is found that is deemed to have impacted the goal, VAR recommends an on-field review. There is no specific limit regarding the distance to the goal or the time interval between the incident and the goal."

According to him, Lisandro Martinez was "clearly stepped on his foot." At the same time, however, Julián Álvarez did not commit a foul against Salah, as Collina explained that the Argentine first touched the ball and then made "normal football contact."

And what about the potential penalty after the hold by Mac Allister? Collina's assessment on this matter remains unclear – the Italian omitted to comment on it in his interview.