FIFA's chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, has strongly refuted claims that World Cup officials are influenced or are fixing matches to favor Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Collina's comments come after Egypt's manager, Hossam Hassan, accused FIFA of rigging the tournament for Argentina, following his team's dramatic 3-2 loss in the last 16. Hassan's accusations were amplified by footage showing him confronting Argentinian players in the tunnel after the match. Egypt's goalkeeper coach, Saafan El-Sagheer, was also sent off during the heated post-match exchange.
Argentina came back from a 2-0 deficit in the second half to secure their victory, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the winning goal in stoppage time. Egypt was particularly incensed by a penalty decision that was awarded to Argentina in the first half, which Messi missed, and a potential penalty not being given to them moments before Argentina's winner. Egypt also had a goal disallowed by VAR earlier in the match.
"Unfounded allegations have no place in our sport. Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials," Collina stated, emphasizing that match officials make honest decisions and strive to perform their best. He also noted that such allegations can lead to threats against the officials and their families, which he deems unacceptable. Collina asserted that FIFA refereeing operates with complete independence, even from FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Despite the denials, Hassan expressed his profound disappointment, suggesting that external and internal factors, including marketing considerations, may have influenced the outcome to keep Messi in the tournament. "We were better, but football is unfair," Hassan said in a post-match interview. "It could be a matter of marketing, they could want to make a World Cup with the champion of the last World Cup, they want Messi to exist (in the tournament)." He added that his team suffered injustice and that support for the world champions was evident from "all directions."
Mostafa Ziko, who scored Egypt's second goal, echoed these sentiments, calling the referee "unjust" and stating that "the cup has already been given" to Argentina.
FIFA's decision to assign all Argentinian officials for France's quarter-final match against Morocco has further fueled online speculation. This marks the first time in the tournament that all match referees will be from the same country. Some observers have noted that Argentina has been awarded eight penalties in their last 12 World Cup matches, a statistic that has drawn attention.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has previously faced scrutiny regarding the tournament's integrity. Despite these controversies, no evidence has emerged to support allegations of corruption or match manipulation against FIFA or Infantino. Infantino was recently seen lifting an Egyptian flag shortly after the team's elimination.
