Overview
- Pierluigi Collina publicly defended the integrity of World Cup match officials in a statement released Thursday, saying "nobody can question the integrity" of the referees after Argentina beat Egypt 3-2.
- Collina explained that VAR intervened to overturn Egypt’s goal because it identified Marwan Attia stepping on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the attacking possession, and he said there is no fixed time or distance limit for such reviews.
- The Egyptian Football Association issued a formal complaint demanding an investigation into what it called double standards and technical failures in the VAR process after the match.
- Collina denied that FIFA President Gianni Infantino or any other official can influence refereeing decisions and emphasized that the FIFA Refereeing Department operates with full independence.
- He warned that unfounded allegations can provoke threats against referees and their families, and said the EFA complaint remains on record while public debate over the incident continues.