Collina defends World Cup referees after Egypt coach accuses officials of bias against Argentina

FIFA’s Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina has pushed back against accusations of biased officiating at the World Cup, insisting that the integrity of match officials cannot be questioned, after Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan publicly attacked referee Francois Letexier following his side’s 3-2 defeat to Argentina.

The loss ended Egypt’s tournament and, with it, Mohamed Salah’s World Cup hopes, as Argentina staged a comeback to keep their title defence alive. Hassan was visibly furious after the final whistle, suggesting the result had been manipulated against his side.

“Life is unfair. The world is unfair,” Hassan said. “But why isn’t there any fairness in sports? I’m not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match. The referee is unfair. He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation. The cup is directed towards Argentina.”

The Egyptian Football Association also issued a statement saying that “several key incidents raised serious concerns and profound questions” about the officiating during the match.

Collina responded directly to those claims in an interview with the FIFA website, defending his officials while acknowledging that mistakes are inevitable across a high volume of fixtures played in a compressed schedule.

“Overall, we are happy,” Collina said. “However, with such a high number of matches played in a relatively short period of time, it is normal that some things do not go as expected. When that happens, they are ready to work even harder to ensure they are fully prepared for the next match.”

He drew a firm line, however, between legitimate debate and what he characterised as baseless attacks on officials’ character. “Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport. Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials.”

The controversy surrounding Letexier’s performance has added to broader scrutiny of refereeing standards as the tournament enters its later stages, with several teams and federations raising concerns about key decisions across multiple matches.