FIFA's Referees Committee Chairman Luigi Collina settled the refereeing controversy surrounding the Egypt-Argentina match, stressing that constructive discussion is part of the game, while baseless claims have no place.
During the match between Egypt and Argentina, which took place last Tuesday as part of the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, the Pharaohs took the lead in the 15th minute through Yasser Ibrahim, and then the Egyptian national team scored a second goal in the 58th minute, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened, indicating that Marwan Attia had obstructed Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez at the beginning of the attack that preceded the goal.
After the goal was disallowed, Mostafa Zico scored a new goal to put Egypt ahead 2-0, but Argentina turned the tables by scoring three consecutive goals starting from the 79th minute, when Cristian Romero reduced the deficit from a Messi cross, ending the match with a 3-2 victory for the defending champions.
The cancellation of Egypt’s goal and the awarding of Argentina’s third and decisive goal sparked a widespread controversy that swept through the sports community, with Egyptian fans considering that their team had been subjected to a “blatant” and systematic robbery on the pitch, directing harsh accusations at the refereeing team and the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) of conspiring to favor the title holder at the expense of the Pharaohs’ dreams.
Commenting on the cancellation of Egypt's second goal, Collina said in a statement published on the FIFA website on Thursday: "If a foul is detected at the start of an attack, and it is deemed to have affected the scoring of a goal, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will recommend a review of the footage on the field," adding, "There is no specific distance from the goal or specific time between the occurrence of the foul and the scoring of the goal."
He continued, "In this controversial incident, Marwan Attia stepped on the foot of Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez."
The former Italian international referee continued, "A mistake is a mistake regardless of whether it is obvious or not, and video technology can intervene as long as the on-field referee did not notice it on the field."
Regarding Egypt's claim for a penalty kick before Argentina scored their third goal, Collina responded in the statement, "The referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) considered the contact between Egypt's Mohamed Salah and Argentina's Julian Alvarez to be normal contact in football."
The Egyptian Football Association issued an official statement yesterday, Wednesday, saying that the clear refereeing bias during the match against Argentina in the round of 16 of the World Cup could not be tolerated.
The Egyptian Football Association stated in its statement that a number of experts and analysts defended Egypt, stressing the importance of integrity, fairness and transparency in refereeing during the world’s biggest football tournament.
The statement also expressed the dissatisfaction of the Egyptian players, coaching staff and fans, adding, "Every player who wears the Egyptian national team jersey, and every fan who supports the team, deserves justice, respect and equality in the application of the rules of the game."
