World Cup 2026: FIFA Explains Two Controversial Decisions in Egypt vs Argentina Match
- FIFA head of referees Pierluigi Collina defended two major officiating decisions from Egypt's 2-3 loss to Argentina
- Collina justified VAR's intervention to disallow Mostafa Ziko's goal, which many fans felt was unfair
- The retired referee also ruled out a penalty for Mohamed Salah, describing the contact on him as natural football contact
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FIFA's head of referees, Pierluigi Collina, has explained the two biggest talking points from Egypt's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The former elite referee defended the decisions made by match officials after Egypt supporters accused the refereeing team of favouring the defending champions.
Collina provided his explanation during an interview with FIFA, addressing Mostafa Ziko's disallowed goal and Mohamed Salah's penalty appeal.
Source: Getty Images
Why was Ziko's goal disallowed against Argentina?
According to Al Jazeera, Collina explained that every goal scored at the World Cup undergoes an automatic VAR review, with officials analysing the entire attacking sequence.
He stressed that there is no limit on how far back VAR can check an incident, meaning a foul committed earlier in the move can still lead to a goal being overturned.
Watch Ziko's disallowed goal, as shared on X:
In Ziko's case, Collina said Marwan Attia committed a foul by stepping on Lisandro Martínez's foot during the build-up.
"A violation is a violation," Collina said, explaining that VAR can intervene when an important incident is missed by the referee.
However, he added that not every contact after a tackle is considered a foul, especially when a defender wins the ball first, and the resulting challenge is a natural consequence of the play.
Source: Getty Images
Why was Mohamed Salah denied a penalty?
On Salah's collision with Julián Álvarez inside Argentina's penalty area, Collina said both the referee and VAR reviewed the incident and decided the contact did not amount to an offence.
He admitted that some decisions involve an element of interpretation but insisted the officials followed the correct principles during the match.
Watch the explainer on why Salah was denied a penalty, as shared on X:
Fans react to Colina's explanations
The explanation, however, did little to convince many fans who believed Egypt were unfairly treated.
@Sky_Ace0 questioned:
"So why was Saudi not awarded a foul when Messi stepped on a player's foot?"
@jamal_ashiraf added:
"So why hasn't he talked of the Mac Allister shirt 🎽 pull inside the penalty area in that same incident?"
@johnmodise wrote:
"Choosing which foul to explain while leaving the other foul against two Egyptian players inside the 18 area, which gave build up to Argentina's goal, is on its own a grave FOUL"
@Moetapelepele said:
"He is talking nonsense. If his allegations were true, then what happened to miss opportunity to award Egypt a penalty? What about the Cape Verde game? He should have shut up."
Argentina eventually completed a remarkable comeback after falling two goals behind, while Egypt's World Cup journey ended amid continued debate over the officiating.
Why Argentina's winner should have been disallowed?
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Enzo Fernández scored a late winner as Argentina came from 2-0 down to defeat Egypt.
However, replays suggested that the Chelsea midfielder's goal may have been controversial due to an incident during the build-up.
Source: YEN.com.gh
