The World Cup has entered its final stages, but discussions around refereeing decisions, VAR technology, and FIFA's rulings have become increasingly prominent. Controversial moments include the disallowed goal by Croatia against Portugal after VAR detected a minor touch by Igor Matanović, and the suspension of automatic sanctions for Folarin Balogun following his red card before the USA-Belgium match. The Egypt vs. Argentina game sparked strong protests from Egypt over the disallowed goal by Mostafa Zak and the decision not to award a foul against Mohamed Salah in the closing stages. Pierluigi Collina, a legendary Italian referee and FIFA's head of refereeing, addressed these controversies, denying claims of external pressure on referees and emphasizing their independence. He explained that VAR reviews the entire attacking phase after every goal and clarified why Egypt’s goal was disallowed due to a foul by Marwan Attia on Lysandro Martínez.
Bias read (Center): The article presents Collina's explanations and defense of FIFA's refereeing decisions without overtly favoring any side. It includes perspectives from both critics of the refereeing and Collina's responses, maintaining a balanced tone.
