Collina rejects Egypt's fraud allegations and defends VAR decisions

Background: Egypt's bitter exit against Argentina

FIFA head of referees Pierluigi Collina responded to the allegations with a detailed statement on the world federation's website. The 66-year-old Italian particularly rejected the claim that refereeing decisions could be influenced from outside. "Niemand kann behaupten, dass Schiedsrichterentscheidungen von irgendjemandem beeinflusst werden können, nicht einmal vom FIFA-Präsidenten", said Collina. He also said the FIFA refereeing department was "von irgendjemandem beeinflusst werden kann, nicht einmal vom FIFA-Präsidenten," he continued.

At the center of the criticism were two VAR decisions that, from Egypt's perspective, had decisively influenced the course of the match. In the 58th minute, a supposed goal by Marwan Attia was disallowed following VAR intervention because the Egyptian attacker had previously struck Argentine defender Lisandro Martínez on the foot. Collina explained: "Wenn im Spielaufbau ein Foul festgestellt wird, das sich nach Einschätzung des VAR auf die Entstehung des Tores ausgewirkt hat, empfiehlt dieser eine Überprüfung am Spielfeldrand."

Disallowed goal: The VAR incident in focus

Collina also stressed that there are no set limits for such an intervention: "Es gibt keine festgelegte Grenze hinsichtlich der Entfernung zum Tor oder der Zeitspanne zwischen dem Vorfall und dem Tor." In the specific case, Attia had clearly stepped on the foot of Argentina's No. 6 Lisandro Martínez. "Ein Foul ist ein Foul," the former top Italian referee summarized the assessment. He added that Mostafa Ziko's goal in the 58th minute could not rightfully have been allowed, as the situation had already been reviewed by VAR.

Immediately before the winning goal by Enzo Fernández in the second minute of stoppage time, his teammate Alexis Mac Allister had pulled Egyptian player Hamdi Fathi's jersey as he entered the Argentine penalty area. The Egyptian side saw this as a clear foul that should have resulted in a penalty. Collina rejected this view: the incident had been "normaler Fußball-Kontakt," and the VAR had seen it the same way. "Das ist nicht richtig," he said with regard to the Egyptian account.

Emotional reactions after the final whistle

The emotional reactions immediately after the final whistle had further intensified the controversy. Egypt's head coach Hossam Hassan had made serious accusations against the officials after the match. "Wir wurden heute ungerecht behandelt," said the coach. Shortly afterward, he doubled down and openly spoke of fraud: "Das war ein manipuliertes Spiel und die ganze Welt hat es gesehen." He was also blunt toward FIFA: "Vielleicht wollte man, dass Messi weiter im Rennen bleibt!" In the direction of the Argentine players, Hassan additionally held both arms in the shape of an "X" to draw attention to alleged racist insults.

After the match, the situation escalated further on the touchline: Egypt's goalkeeping coach Saafan Elsaghir received a red card, and several Egyptian players were shown yellow cards. The Egyptian Football Association subsequently released a statement sharply condemning the incidents: "Die Verteidigung der Rechte und Interessen der ägyptischen Nationalmannschaft ist keine Angelegenheit, die ignoriert, verharmlost oder als zweitrangig behandelt werden kann." The association also said it would "kann nicht schweigen" after what it regarded as unfair and biased officiating.

Collina's warning against attacks on referees

In his response, Collina sought to calm the emotions without directly attacking the critics. While FIFA does in principle welcome constructive discussions about refereeing decisions, "Unbegründete Anschuldigungen haben in unserem Sport keinen Platz," the Italian stressed. FIFA is aware of its responsibility: "Es ist eine Verantwortung, die wir mit voller Überzeugung und Entschlossenheit tragen." At the same time, Collina warned of the consequences of public attacks on officials: public statements against referees could "Reaktionen hervorrufen, die zu Drohungen gegen sie und ihre Familien führen."

The debate over refereeing performances at the 2026 World Cup extends beyond the Egyptian match. The German team was also, by its own account, affected by the inconsistent performances of the officials. A supposed goal by Jonathan Tah that would have given Germany a 2:1 lead against Paraguay was disallowed following a VAR review. The DFB side was eliminated from the tournament after a penalty drama. Overall, the list of controversial decisions at the oversized tournament in North America had grown ever longer.

Egyptian federation stands by its criticism

The Egyptian federation's leadership is meanwhile sticking to its position. It had identified "mehrere wichtige Vorfälle" that "die ernsthafte Bedenken aufwarfen und tiefgreifende Fragen zur Konsistenz und Fairness von Entscheidungen aufwarfen, die den Spielverlauf direkt beeinflusst haben." Numerous experts and analysts had defended the Egyptian view and underlined the importance of integrity, fairness, and transparency in officiating on football's biggest stage. The federation demanded consequences – and announced that it would continue to vigorously pursue its own interests.

That FIFA nevertheless stands behind its referees was made unmistakably clear by Collina. It would continue to trust that impartial decisions on the pitch are made according to the rules of the game. Constructive criticism was welcome, he added – but the integrity of the World Cup officials was beyond question. How the international football association will formally deal with Egypt's complaint remained initially unclear.

The refereeing debate at the 2026 World Cup

Overall, the case highlights the growing pressure on World Cup referees at the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, which features 48 teams, more matches, and greater media attention than ever before. The multitude of contentious scenes – including the penalties not awarded, goals disallowed, and disciplinary measures – shows just how much every single decision on the biggest stage of world football is under scrutiny. FIFA apparently sees no reason to deviate from its course.