FIFA chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina has firmly dismissed allegations of match manipulation leveled by Egypt following their 3-2 loss to Argentina in the World Cup round of 16, declaring that nobody can question the integrity of tournament officials.
The dispute erupted after Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan called the match "manipulated," and Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida filed a formal complaint against French referee François Letexier and his crew, demanding their removal from the tournament over two contested second-half decisions. Collina defended the VAR calls in question, pointing to Marwan Attia's foul on Lisandro Martínez that nullified an Egyptian goal and normal contact between Mohamed Salah and Julián Álvarez that drew no penalty. "Unfounded accusations have no place in our sport," Collina said, insisting refereeing cannot be influenced by anyone, "not even the FIFA president."
In a separate intervention, Donald Trump said he asked FIFA to review a decision not to uphold Folarin Balogun's ban.