FIFA clarifies position on controversy surrounding Argentina-Egypt match

After 28 days of competition in the World Cup group and knockout stages, the last eight stage is now starting. The quarter-finals will be held on Thursday (July 9) night. But even as the tournament enters a new chapter, the controversy surrounding the Argentina-Egypt match is not over.
Some of the referee’s decisions in that exciting last-16 match are still being discussed. After the match, Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan and the team’s striker Mostafa Zico expressed their anger. They claim that Argentina got an extra advantage in the management of the match. They even complained that the match was pre-planned.
However, FIFA is not taking such allegations from the Egyptian camp into account. The organization’s chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, has made it clear that these allegations regarding refereeing are unimportant and that unnecessary controversy is being created about it. In a full interview with Inside FIFA.com, the veteran referee explained all the decisions in the Argentina-Egypt match. After reviewing each incident, he said that the referee made no mistakes in the match.
Egypt’s main objections revolve around two decisions. In the first case, VAR disallowed Egypt’s goal due to a previous foul. In the second case, Egypt claims that VAR did not review Argentina’s third goal despite a previous foul complaint.
Zico scored a brilliant goal in the 58th minute of the match on a counterattack. However, at the beginning of the attack, an Egyptian defender fouled Lisandro Martinez. Although the incident occurred about 85 meters away, the referee saw the foul and disallowed the goal after VAR.
Later, Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez scored the winning goal on a counterattack in the second minute of extra time. At the end of the scheduled 90 minutes of play, Mohamed Salah fell at the feet of Julián Álvarez in the Argentina D-box. However, the referee did not call it a foul. FIFA’s chief refereeing officer, Colina, explained both decisions.
“After each goal, VAR reviews the ball possession phase of the opposition’s attack. If a foul is detected before the goal is scored and it appears to have influenced the goal, VAR will advise the on-field referee to review the video and make a decision,” Colina said.
“There is no fixed distance from the goal or the time between the incident and the goal. We believe that a foul is a foul. Whether the foul is ‘clear’ or not, if the referee cannot see it on the field of play, VAR can intervene.”
If a foul is not detected in the moments before the goal is scored, VAR will inform the referee accordingly. Stepping on an opponent’s foot is a foul, but if a defender touches the ball first and then there is a normal footballing touch, it is not a foul.
An example of this occurred towards the end of the same match. The referee and VAR considered the incident between Egypt’s No. 10 Mohamed Salah and Argentina’s No. 9 Julián Alvarez to be a normal footballing touch. Five-time International Referee of the Year award winner, Collina, called on everyone to be a little more tolerant of refereeing. Because any incident can spell disaster for a referee’s family.
‘Of course, constructive discussions about decisions are part of football, but unfounded accusations have no place in our game. No one can question the integrity of match officials at a FIFA World Cup. When this happens, it can create a reaction that threatens the referees and their families. It’s not right at all.’ At the same time, Collina stressed that the FIFA president has no influence on match refereeing.
‘In the same way, no one can claim that anyone has any influence on the FIFA refereeing system, not even the FIFA president (Gianni Infantino). “He has always given his full support to ‘FIFA Team One’ and has trusted us to act in complete independence. Match officials make honest decisions and, like the players and coaches, they always try to give their best.”