Accusations of referee favoritism in the World Cup can cause significant damage and lead to abuse, according to a former World Cup official.
Pierluigi Collina, who oversees all referees at the World Cup, previously defended officials after Argentina's 3-2 victory over Egypt in the last 16, underlining their integrity. Egypt had alleged that referee Francois Letexier and his team deliberately favored Argentina. Collina noted that such narratives can lead to threats against referees' families.
The official recalled officiating the 2010 final between Spain and the Netherlands, a match Spain won 1-0, which involved 14 yellow cards and one red card. Criticism from the Netherlands coach at the time was noted as an example of the scrutiny referees face for making genuine decisions.
Concerns have been raised about English referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor receiving threats in past years, which are amplified by unfounded suggestions of impartiality being questioned. The official stated that while England lost to Argentina, the referee's decisions were not the reason for the team's exit from the World Cup.
"It is frustrating when you hear about conspiracy theories," the official said. "I can't think of many other professions in the world where there is one person with all that pressure on them. The referee is making multi-million-pound decisions – and they have got one second to make their mind up."
Mistakes are acknowledged as part of the game. Examples cited include a disallowed German goal against Ecuador for a high foot, a potential penalty not awarded to Ghana against England, and a Brazilian goal ruled out against Scotland that should have stood. With 103 matches played, equating to approximately 10 rounds of Premier League football, errors are considered inevitable.
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic was scheduled to officiate the final. For any referee, the pinnacle of their career is officiating a World Cup final, and their sole focus is on making correct decisions that do not impact the outcome of the match. The official assured that conspiracy theories are unfounded and that the only objective for referees is to get decisions right.