The Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt was one of the most thrilling of the tournament, with Argentina coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. However, Egypt complained about referee François Letexier, who was defended by Pierluigi Collina as he detailed the controversial plays of the match on the official Inside FIFA website while reaffirming that referees are independent from Gianni Infantino.
Collina said: “A foul is a foul, regardless of whether it seems obvious. If the referee did not see it on the field, the VAR can intervene. There is no defined limit regarding the distance from the goal, nor the amount of time that has passed between the incident and the goal.”
This explanation from the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee referred to the disallowed goal scored by Mostafa Zico after VAR called Letexier to review the play in which Lisandro Martínez was stepped on by Marwan Attia near Egypt’s corner flag.
Collina on the final goal
Even after Zico had a goal disallowed, he scored again a few minutes later on a fantastic counterattack to put Egypt 2-0 ahead. Then the comeback began with a Cristian Romero header before Lionel Messi equalized.
Martínez was fouled on the other end of the field (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The winning goal also generated controversy from Egypt’s perspective, as Mohamed Salah fell inside the penalty area when Julián Álvarez won the ball back from him in the move that ended with Enzo Fernández scoring the winner.
see also
‘I thought maybe he was hiding something’: Hossam Hassan blasts Letexier after Egypt lose to Argentina
Collina said: “Stepping on an opponent’s foot is a foul, whereas a defender who plays the ball first and then makes normal contact with the opponent does not commit a foul. The referee and the VAR considered it to be normal contact.”
Collina on possible influence from Infantino
There was plenty of frustration from Egypt after the elimination. Hossam Hassan was the main figure fueling the protests with his gestures toward the referee. It was not just the manager who delayed the match for a few minutes, as several members of the coaching staff were also yelling at Letexier. Collina responded to the claims that the competition had been influenced by Infantino.
Collina said: “No one can claim that FIFA’s refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even the FIFA president. He has always shown his full support, trusting us to work with complete independence. Referees make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always strive to do their very best.”
