FIFA has strongly defended the integrity of its match officials amid growing debate over refereeing decisions at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Speaking after the completion of the Round of 16, FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina said allegations that referees are influenced by external parties have no place in football.
“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” Collina said, adding that such claims can lead to threats against referees and their families.
He also rejected suggestions that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, including Gianni Infantino.
“Nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA President. He has always shown his full support for FIFA Team One while trusting us to work with complete independence,” Collina said.
Addressing recent VAR discussions, Collina explained that every goal is reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), including the entire attacking possession phase. If a foul in the build-up is judged to have had an impact on the goal, the VAR can recommend an on-field review regardless of how far from goal or how long before the goal the incident occurred.
He cited the World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt as an example, saying Egypt’s Marwan Attia stepping on Argentina’s Lisandro Martínez was correctly identified as a foul, while later contact between Mohamed Salah and Julián Álvarez was deemed normal football contact.
Collina acknowledged that some decisions will always involve an element of subjectivity but said FIFA is satisfied with how refereeing principles have been applied throughout the tournament. (Newswire)