FIFA referees chief Collina rejects 'unfounded allegations' over Argentina-Egypt World Cup clash

FIFA's head of refereeing, Pierluigi Collina, has strongly defended World Cup match officials following Argentina's controversial 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16, dismissing suggestions that referees had been influenced to favour the defending champions.

The comments came after Egypt coach Hossam Hassan alleged that the officiating team, led by French referee Francois Letexier, may have been subjected to "external pressure" during the knockout fixture in Atlanta.

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Hassan's criticism followed a series of contentious decisions, most notably the VAR review that ruled out Mostafa Zico's breakaway goal, which would have put Egypt 2-0 ahead, after officials identified a foul earlier in the build-up.

Responding to the controversy in remarks published on FIFA's official website, Collina rejected any suggestion of bias or outside influence.

"Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport," Collina said.

"Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.

"Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA President (Gianni Infantino).

"Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best."

Collina also defended the decision to disallow Egypt's second goal, saying the VAR protocol had been applied correctly.

"If a foul is identified in the build-up and is deemed to have had an impact on the goal, the VAR will recommend an on-field review," he said.

"There is no defined limit regarding either the distance from goal or the amount of time between the incident and the goal.

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"We believe that a foul is a foul. Regardless of whether the foul appears 'obvious', if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene."

After the match, Hassan accused FIFA of favouring Argentina and suggested the world champions had received preferential treatment.

"We have been cheated unfairly today, we have suffered injustice," Hassan said.

He went on to claim FIFA "wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running."

"In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at every level," Hassan told BeIn Sports.

Collina's remarks mark FIFA's strongest response yet to the allegations, with the refereeing chief reiterating that match officials act independently and in accordance with the laws of the game.