FIFA Referee Chief Pierluigi Collina said that no one can question the integrity of World Cup match officials, but baseless allegations have no place in the game.
The announcement came after Egypt protested against the referees following their 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) demanded that the match officials be removed from the tournament and that their decisions be investigated.
Egypt’s football officials were of the view that two key decisions went against them in the second half, which gave Argentina a chance to come back from a two-goal deficit.
After the match, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan claimed that his team had been unfairly treated and perhaps because of the desire to keep the world champions in the tournament or keep Lionel Messi in the competition.
Pierluigi Collina denied the allegations and said that constructive discussions on decisions are part of football, but baseless allegations are unacceptable. He said that such allegations lead to threats against referees and their families, which are not true in any way.
He added that no one influences FIFA refereeing, not even FIFA president Gianni Infantino. According to him, match officials make the right decisions and try to show their best performance as players and coaches.
On the other hand, FIFA is facing criticism for its decision not to accept the automatic ban of Folarin Balogun, who received a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
European football body UEFA called the move “unusual, incomprehensible and unfair”, while US President Donald Trump asked FIFA to review the decision.
