FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina has sparked major headlines after publicly defending French referee Francois Letexier, firmly asserting that all his decisions during the Egypt vs Argentina Round of 16 match in the 2026 World Cup were completely correct.
Letexier had disallowed a goal for Egypt due to a foul at the start of the build-up. Later, he allowed Argentina’s late match-winner to stand despite a controversial challenge on Mohamed Salah, which Egyptian fans claimed was highly similar to the foul that cancelled out Mostafa Zeko’s earlier goal.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) submitted an official complaint against Letexier, with EFA President Hany Abo Rida demanding he be sent home and excluded from the tournament for making “discriminatory” mistakes. Meanwhile, Pharaohs’ head coach Hossam Hassan accused the referee of favoring Argentina just to keep Lionel Messi in the competition.
Collina’s Official Response: “Unfounded Allegations Have No Place”
Responding directly to the Egyptian backlash, Collina stated:
“Constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport.”
He added:
“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.”
The refereeing chief further noted:
“Equally, nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president.”
Clarification on Egypt vs Argentina Controversial Calls
Addressing the specific incidents of the match, Collina explained:
“We believe that a foul is a foul. Regardless of whether the foul appears ‘obvious’ or not, if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene.”
He elaborated:
“Stepping on an opponent’s foot is a foul, whereas a defender who touches the ball first and then makes normal football contact has not committed a foul. Again, an example of this came at the end of the same game.”
Collina concluded:
“The referee and the VAR deemed it normal football contact between Egypt no. 10 Mohamed Salah and Argentina no. 10 Julian Alvarez.”
