Noboody can question integrity of World Cup referees - Collina

Fifa chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina has defended World Cup match officials following "unfounded allegations" made by the Egyptian Football Association after their 3-2 loss to Argentina. The EFA had asked Fifa to remove the officials from the tournament, citing "double standards" after two second-half calls went against Egypt, allowing Argentina to overturn a 2-0 deficit. Collina stated, "Nobody can question the integrity of the Fifa World Cup match officials," warning that such allegations could lead to threats against officials and their families. Collina specifically backed the VAR decision to rule out an Egypt goal after Marwan Attia was penalized for stepping on Lisandro Martinez's foot, as well as the decision not to award a foul on Mohamed Salah. He explained that the VAR checks the attacking possession phase after every goal and that "a foul is a foul," regardless of distance or time from the incident. Collina also dismissed claims that refereeing could be influenced by anyone, including Fifa president Gianni Infantino, saying match officials "make honest decisions."