According to FIFA's website, on July 9 local time, FIFA Chief Referee Corina stated that in the World Cup quarter-final match between Argentina and Egypt, two controversial key decisions were correct.
In the 2026 U.S.-Canada-Mexico World Cup quarter-finals, the Argentina team scored three goals in a row after being down by two goals, winning 3-2 and advancing to the semifinals against Egypt. After the match, the referee's decisions sparked questions from global fans. French-born referee Lethier chose to mute himself after receiving widespread criticism.
The Egyptian Football Federation also issued a statement, saying that it has formally filed a complaint with FIFA regarding the controversial decisions made during that match. They have requested that Lethecye be excluded from this tournament, as he committed serious foul play.
Regarding this, Kolenna said in an interview published on the FIFA official website: "Rational and constructive discussions about penalties are part of football. However, baseless accusations should never occur. No one should question the professional ethics of the World Cup refereeing team. Such false accusations can easily lead to extreme emotions, which could turn into personal threats against referees and their families."
"Similarly, there is no person who can intervene in FIFA's referee department; even if the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, wants to." Colina said.
He explained that after each goal is scored, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviews the entire offensive phase. If a foul is detected during the process leading to the goal, and that foul has a substantial impact on that goal, the VAR will recommend that the chief referee go onto the pitch to review the footage. There are no strict rules regarding the distance from the location of the foul to the goalpost, or the duration between the occurrence of the foul and the goal.
He cited two controversial decisions in the match between Argentina and Egypt as typical examples. The first was when Egyptian player Atiya clearly stepped on the instep of Argentine player Martinez No. 6 on the 19th. The referee did not notice this action on the spot, but after VAR review, the subsequent goal scored by Egypt was disqualified.
Colina emphasized that the core principle is ‘a foul is a foul’. As long as the main referee does not see it on the field, the VAR has the authority to intervene and verify. Similarly, if there is no foul during the offensive sequence that leads to a goal, the VAR will inform the main referee accordingly.
The second controversial decision was a goal that Argentina scored near the end of the match. After the goal, Egypt claimed that Argentine player Alvarez No. 9 and Egyptian player Salah No. 10 had physical contact in the penalty area, and filed an appeal for a penalty kick with the referee.
Colina explained that stepping on an opposing player’s foot is a foul. However, if the defensive player first touches the ball and subsequent normal physical contact occurs, it does not count as a foul. In this case of contact, both the referee and the VAR determined that it was a ‘normal and reasonable confrontation’ within the context of football.
“Of course, there is inevitably room for subjective judgment in some decisions, but we generally agree with the implementation of these rules throughout this competition,” said Kolina.
