{"id":8272,"date":"2026-07-10T20:03:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T20:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/?p=8272"},"modified":"2026-07-20T13:57:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T13:57:48","slug":"officiating-in-the-argentina-egypt-clash-fifa-refereeing-chief-breaks-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/2026\/07\/10\/officiating-in-the-argentina-egypt-clash-fifa-refereeing-chief-breaks-silence\/","title":{"rendered":"Officiating in the Argentina-Egypt Clash :FIFA Refereeing Chief Breaks Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent days, controversies have mounted regarding the officiating of several fixtures, notably the round of 16 encounter between Argentina and Egypt. Facing this wave of criticism, legendary former match official Pierluigi Collina has spoken out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the quarterfinals kick off this Friday evening with the highly anticipated matchup between France and Morocco, FIFA finds itself navigating a storm of ongoing disputes. Between the Balogun affair, the controversial officiating during the France-Paraguay match, and the decision to uphold Michael Olise’s yellow card, recent days have been incredibly tense. Added to this mix is the heavily scrutinized round of 16 battle between Argentina and Egypt. Prior to kickoff, Argentine fans expressed outrage over the appointment of French referee Francois Letexier. By the final whistle, it was the Pharaohs who were protesting against the Frenchman, blaming him for disallowing a legitimate goal.<\/p>\n

The fixture sparked a global outcry, with critics accusing FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, of going to great lengths to protect Lionel Messi’s Argentina. In response to the heated debates, iconic former referee Pierluigi Collina stepped forward. In an interview published on FIFA’s official website, the head of refereeing for the governing body assessed the situation. “On the whole, we are satisfied. However, with such a high volume of matches played over a relatively brief timeframe, it is natural that certain elements do not go according to plan. When that occurs, the officials are ready to redouble their efforts to ensure they are flawlessly prepared for the upcoming assignment,” he noted, before addressing claims of outside influence on tournament fixtures.<\/p>\n

“Naturally, constructive debates over decisions will always be part of football, but baseless allegations have no place in our sport. No one can question the integrity of FIFA World Cup match officials. When that happens, it can trigger reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is unacceptable. Similarly, nobody can claim that FIFA’s refereeing department can be influenced by anyone, including the FIFA president. He has consistently shown total backing for ‘FIFA Team One’ while trusting us to operate with absolute independence. Referees make decisions with total honesty and, just like players and coaches, they always strive to perform at their highest level.” Finally, Collina addressed the specific protests stemming from the Argentina-Egypt match. According to him, the goal denied to the Pharaohs and the penalty withheld from the Albiceleste were both judged correctly.<\/p>\n

“Following every goal scored, the VAR reviews the attacking phase of play. If an infraction is spotted during the buildup and is deemed to have directly impacted the goal, the VAR will recommend an on-field review. There is no set limit regarding either the distance from the net or the duration between the incident and the goal. A clear example occurred during the Argentina-Egypt game, where Egypt’s number 19, Marwan Attia, visibly stepped on the foot of Argentina’s number 6, Lisandro Martinez. We believe a foul is a foul. Whether the infraction appears ‘obvious’ or not, if the referee missed it on the pitch, the VAR is permitted to step in. Likewise, if no foul is found during the buildup leading to a goal, the VAR will notify the official. Stepping on an opponent’s foot constitutes an infraction, whereas a defender who touches the ball first and then makes normal playing contact has committed no foul. Once again, an example of this occurred toward the end of that very match. The referee and the VAR determined it was normal contact between Egypt’s number 10 Mohamed Salah and Argentina’s number 10 Julian Alvarez. Naturally, a degree of subjectivity will always exist in certain rulings, but we are pleased with how this standard has been executed throughout the tournament.” While these words will likely offer little consolation to the Egyptian camp, they provide strong backing for Francois Letexier, who remains in contention to officiate subsequent matches in this World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In recent days, controversies have mounted regarding the officiating of several fixtures, notably the round of 16 encounter between Argentina and Egypt. Facing this wave of criticism, legendary former match official Pierluigi Collina has spoken out. As the quarterfinals kick off this Friday evening with the highly anticipated matchup between France and Morocco, FIFA finds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[1697],"class_list":["post-8272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-2026-world-cup"],"byline":"M.B","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8272"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8274,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8272\/revisions\/8274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}