FIFA refereeing chief rejects Egypt's claims of bias in Argentina's World Cup comeback win

The comeback

Argentina trailed 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining but scored three times to win 3-2. Lionel Messi, who had missed a 19th-minute penalty, set up one goal and scored another in a four-minute burst before Enzo Fernandez headed the winner in stoppage time. The result sent the defending champions into a quarter-final against Switzerland.

Egypt's protest

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accused FIFA of favouring Argentina and Messi. "This was clearly a bought game and the whole world saw it," he said. The Egyptian Football Association filed a formal complaint, demanding the removal of French referee François Letexier and his team from the tournament. The EFA said "several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions."

The disallowed goal

Mostafa Zico's 58th-minute strike was ruled out after a VAR review found Marwan Attia had fouled Lisandro Martinez. Egypt argued the contact was minimal, but FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina insisted the decision was correct. "We believe that a foul is a foul," Collina said. "If the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene."

The penalty claim

Moments before Argentina's winner, Mohamed Salah went down under a challenge from Julian Alvarez. Egypt wanted a penalty, but Collina said both the referee and VAR judged it "normal football contact". Egypt also claimed Hamdi Fathy was held by Alexis Mac Allister, but replays were inconclusive.

Aftermath

Despite the controversy, Egypt's football federation announced it would renew Hassan's contract, citing "historic achievements". Collina warned that unfounded allegations could provoke threats against referees. "Nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president," he said.