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Rabat- FIFA’s chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, defended the officials in the Egypt-Argentina match, emphasizing that referees operate independently and are not subject to any external influence.
Egypt raised concerns over what it described as favoritism toward Argentina and its star Lionel Messi, after conceding three late goals and missing out on a place in the quarterfinals.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition,” Egypt’s coach Houssam Hassan said during a press conference.
The Egyptian Football Association called on FIFA to dismiss French referee François Letexier and his officiating team following their handling of the Argentina-Egypt game.
Collina rejected the allegations, stressing that refereeing decisions are made without bias. “Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president,” he said.
His comments came shortly after the controversy surrounding US President Donald Trump, who reportedly spoke with FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding a potential review of Folarin Balogun’s suspension.
“He has always shown his full support for the FIFA team while trusting us to work with complete independence,” Collina said, referring to Infantino. “Match officials make honest decisions and always try to do their best.”
