The head of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, commented on Egypt's disallowed goal against Argentina and the call for a penalty for Mohamed Salah at the end of the match between the two teams in the Round of 16 of the World Cup on Tuesday.

The match, which ended with Argentina winning 3-2, witnessed controversial refereeing decisions, amid Egyptian accusations that the French referee was biased towards the South American team.

The disallowed goal for Egypt, scored by Mostafa Ziko in the second half, due to a foul at the start of the attack, was one of the most prominent incidents that the Pharaohs' players objected to.

Commenting on this incident, Collina said: 'After every goal, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system checks the attacking possession phase, and if an infringement is detected in the build-up phase and is considered to have affected the goal, the VAR system recommends an on-field review.'

He explained in statements to FIFA's website that 'there is no specific time limit for the distance from the goal, or for the time between the infringement and the goal.'

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The former Italian referee, considered the most prominent in football history, continued: 'An example of that is what happened in the Argentina vs. Egypt match, where Egyptian player number 19 Marwan Attia clearly stamped on the foot of Argentine player number 6 Lisandro Martinez.'

Collina added: 'We believe that a foul is a foul, regardless of whether it appears obvious or not. If the referee on the field did not see it, the Video Assistant Referee technology can intervene.'

He added: 'Similarly, if no infringement is noticed at the start of the attack that led to a goal, the VAR technology will inform the referee of that.'

Regarding the demands for a penalty for Salah in the final minutes of the match, he said: 'Stamping on an opponent's foot is a foul, while the defender touching the ball first and then making normal contact is not a foul. An example of that is what happened at the end of the same match, where the referee and VAR considered the contact between Egypt player Mohamed Salah number 10 and Argentina player Julian Alvarez number 10 as normal contact.'

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Collina did not comment on another incident in which the Egyptians demanded a penalty for Hamdy Fathy, after a clear shirt pull inside the penalty area, while the score was tied 2-2.

He said: 'In general, we are satisfied. However, with such a large number of matches played in a relatively short period of time, it is natural that some things do not go as expected. When that happens, the referees are fully prepared to work harder to ensure their full readiness for the next match.'

Collina rejected 'doubts about the integrity of World Cup match officials,' explaining: 'That could provoke reactions that reach the point of threatening them and their families, and that is unacceptable.'

He added: 'Similarly, no one can claim that FIFA refereeing is subject to the influence of any party, not even FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has always shown full support for the team, confident in our ability to work with complete independence.'