Pierluigi Collina, FIFA's chief refereeing officer, has firmly rejected allegations against World Cup match officials, insisting that "nobody can question the integrity" of referees after Egypt launched a formal complaint over their 3-2 last-16 defeat to Argentina.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) called on FIFA to remove the match officials from the tournament, demanding an investigation into what they described as "double standards" in officiating. Egypt had led 2-0 before two second-half decisions went against them, ultimately allowing Argentina to mount a stunning comeback.

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan did not hold back after the final whistle. "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running," he said, alleging that the officiating favoured Argentina.

"Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport," Collina said. "When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right."

Collina also addressed suggestions that FIFA's refereeing department could be influenced externally, including by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He stated that Infantino "has always shown his full support for Fifa Team One while trusting us to work with complete independence."

The two disputed decisions explained

With Egypt leading 1-0 in the second half, the video assistant referee (VAR) disallowed a goal by Mostafa Zico after midfielder Marwan Attia was penalised for stepping on Lisandro Martinez's foot during the build-up to the move.

Moments before Argentina's stoppage-time winner, a potential foul on Mohamed Salah inside the Argentina penalty area was waved away by officials. Both calls sparked fury from the Egyptian camp.

Breaking from his usual policy of not commenting on individual incidents during a major tournament, Collina defended each decision in detail. He explained that under VAR protocol, any foul in the attacking possession phase — regardless of how far back it occurred — can be reviewed and used to disallow 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 of play, the VAR can intervene," he said.

On the Mohamed Salah incident, Collina confirmed that both the referee and VAR judged the contact between Salah and Julian Alvarez to be "normal football contact" rather than a foul. He acknowledged that "there will always be an element of subjectivity in some decisions" but expressed satisfaction with how officiating standards had been upheld across the tournament.

Balogun controversy adds to pressure on FIFA

The Egypt complaint is not the only refereeing controversy to shadow the tournament. FIFA has faced widespread criticism for overturning Folarin Balogun's automatic suspension following a red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina. UEFA described the decision as "unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable," while US president Donald Trump revealed he personally asked FIFA to review the matter.