FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday addressed the VAR controversy that marred the Argentina vs Egypt match, saying he reviewed the incident “more than ten times” and found no evidence of bias by match officials.
The match sparked widespread debate online and among fans after a key VAR decision drew criticism from both sides.
Speaking publicly for the first time on the incident, Infantino said he took a detailed look at all available footage before commenting.
“Before I say anything, let me make one thing very clear,” Infantino said. “I have spent decades in football. I’ve worked with referees, competitions, and the laws of the game for many years.”
“When a decision creates this much debate around the world, it is my responsibility to understand exactly what happened.”
He said: “That is why I didn’t watch the incident once. I didn’t watch it twice. I watched it more than ten times. I paused every angle. I listened to the VAR communication available to the match officials. I looked at every replay from different cameras.”
“Not because Argentina were involved. Not because Egypt were involved. Because football deserves facts before opinions.”
After his review, Infantino said he did not see proof of intentional favoritism.
“After reviewing the incidents carefully, I personally did not find evidence that the VAR team intentionally tried to favour one side over the other,” he said.
Infantino acknowledged the frustration on both sides.
“I understand why Egyptian supporters feel disappointed. I also understand why Argentine supporters believe the officials made the correct decisions. That tells you how difficult these situations are.”
He defended the purpose of VAR, saying it was designed to correct “clear and obvious errors,” not to end all debate.
“VAR was introduced to reduce clear and obvious errors. It was never introduced to eliminate every debate, because football will always have subjective moments.”
“People have every right to question decisions. People have every right to disagree. That is football. But disagreement should never automatically become proof of conspiracy.”
Infantino said FIFA’s refereeing department will continue to review the incident along with others from major matches.
“The responsibility of football’s governing bodies is not to satisfy one fanbase or another. It is to apply the Laws of the Game as consistently and fairly as possible,” he said.
“If our refereeing department believes improvements are necessary, we will study every incident exactly as we do after every major match. No referee is above review. No decision is above analysis.”
He closed by calling for trust in the process.
“Passion will always exist. Debate will always exist. But trust is built through transparency, consistency and accountability — not through rumours or assumptions. Football belongs to everyone. Our responsibility is to protect its integrity every single day.”
FIFA has not announced any disciplinary action or changes to officiating personnel following the match.