Argentina defender claims World Cup referees doing ‘excellent job’ after Egypt controversy

Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez has dismissed controversy over refereeing in the World Cup and said match officials had done an excellent job after Egypt criticised decisions in their dramatic 3-2 round-of-16 defeat by the defending champions.

Argentina reached the last eight after rallying from 2-0 down with 11 minutes remaining to beat Egypt.

The match, however, sparked complaints from the Egyptian Football Association over the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), particularly the disallowing of a Mostafa Zico goal in the 62nd minute that would have doubled the North Africans’ lead.

Argentina faced severe backlash online, with many claiming the defending champions are being favoured by officiating referees.

FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has since defended the officials, rejecting allegations of bias and insisting referees operated independently.

“No, absolutely nothing,” Martinez told reporters when asked whether he had anything to say about the refereeing in the tournament.

“I think they are doing an excellent job. That’s something for you (the media), who sometimes generate the controversies. We concern ourselves with giving our best on the pitch and nothing more,” he added.