00:04Are FIFA referees being unfair after the Egypt vs Argentina round of 16 controversy where many
00:09fans claimed Argentina benefited from key refereeing decisions, questions are once again being asked
00:15about whether FIFA referees are truly impartial. The French referee has said that he was doing his
00:19job professionally and with neutrality. Here's the thing, some Argentine fans were unhappy that
00:25the match was being officiated by French referee Franco Lecce because France knocked Argentina
00:30out of the 2018 World Cup and nearly denied them the title in the 2022 final, so they felt
00:35appointing a French referee created an unnecessary perception of bias. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan had
00:40also objected to the appointment before the match. After the defeat, he questioned both the referee
00:44and FIFA, pointing to the disallowed goal, the unreviewed penalty appeal and claiming the referee
00:50seemed to have something to hide. Now, Colina, widely regarded as one of football's greatest
00:55referees and now chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, has dismissed those claims. That
01:00statement is significant because FIFA has also faced criticism over the perceived closeness between
01:04its president Infantino and political leaders. Earlier in the tournament, US President Donald
01:09Trump jokingly asked Infantino if he could make the red card a little less severe, fueling online
01:14discussions about FIFA's independence. So how does FIFA choose referees anyway? FIFA doesn't simply pick
01:20referees from the Premier League, La Liga or the Champions League. Every referee is nominated
01:24by the country's football association and must be on the FIFA's international referees list. Then
01:29they go through fitness tests, VAR trainings, performance reviews and multiple FIFA seminars before
01:34being selected. FIFA also believes the World Cup should be represented on the field and among the
01:39officials. That's why referees are chosen from all six football confederations, Europe, Asia, Africa,
01:45North and Central America, South America and Oceania, not just from Europe's biggest leagues.
01:49There are also neutrality rules. Referees cannot officiate matches involving their own country
01:54and FIFA tries to avoid best obvious conflicts of interest. So what's the criticism about?
01:59Critics say FIFA should give more importance to referees who regularly handle the biggest club
02:03matches like the Champions League or top European leagues because they are used to the pressure and
02:08pace of elite football. FIFA disagrees. It says, referees should be selected based on the performance,
02:14consistency and preparation, not on the league they work in. So what do you think? Let us know in the
02:18comments below.
02:20No.
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