Collina: ‘No one can claim there’s any outside influence on FIFA referees’

FIFA’s head of referees, Pierluigi Collina, has delivered a firm defense of the officiating at the 2026 World Cup, insisting that the refereeing body operates free from any external pressure. The Italian used Argentina’s Round of 16 clash with Egypt — a 3-2 thriller — as a case study for how VAR functioned during the tournament. With 96 matches already played, Collina pointed to the consistency and integrity of decisions made so far. “We’ve seen 96 games, and I can say with confidence that the standard of refereeing is exactly where it needs to be. Nobody can claim that there’s any influence on the FIFA refereeing corps,” he stated. Collina’s remarks come after the completion of the Round of 16, as the competition now moves into the quarterfinal stage. The Argentina-Egypt match featured several VAR interventions that the Italian official highlighted as textbook examples of the system working as intended.