FIFA's Chief Refereeing Officer, Pierluigi Collina, has defended the independence of World Cup referees. This comes after the VAR decisions in Argentina's Round of 16 win over Egypt stirred up controversy. Collina insists that referees cannot be influenced by anyone, not even FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Collina spoke in an interview released by FIFA on Thursday. He responded to criticism regarding the officiating during the knockout match. He stated that claims questioning the integrity of referees are unacceptable and have put officials and their families in danger.
"Nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA President [Gianni Infantino].
"He has always shown his full support for FIFA Team One while trusting us to work with complete independence. Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best," he said.
VAR Decisions Explained
Collina explained the VAR decisions in the Argentina-Egypt match. He said VAR intervened correctly when Egypt's Marwan Attia stepped on Argentina's Lisandro Martínez's foot during an attack before a goal.
He pointed out that the Laws of the Game do not set any time or distance limits on incidents that can be reviewed if they lead to a goal.
"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, the VAR can step in.
"If no foul is found in the build-up to a goal, the VAR will inform the referee. Stepping on an opponent's foot is a foul, while a defender who touches the ball first and then has normal contact has not committed a foul.
"An example of this happened at the end of the same game. The referee and the VAR saw it was normal contact between Egypt's No. 10 Mohamed Salah and Argentina's No. 10 Julián Álvarez," he noted.
Refereeing Standards
Collina admitted that refereeing decisions will always spark debate. Still, he insisted that FIFA is pleased with how VAR has been used throughout the tournament.
"Of course, there will always be an element of subjectivity in some decisions, but we are happy with how this principle has been applied throughout the tournament," he said.
He also gave a positive review of officiating after 96 matches at the expanded 48-team World Cup. FIFA is satisfied with how referees have performed, even with the increased workload.
"Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport.
"Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it can lead to reactions that endanger them and their families. This is not right," he concluded.
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