FIFA bans English referees from Argentina matches amid AFA hack claims

FIFA’s chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina defended the integrity of World Cup officiating after the Egyptian federation complained about the Argentina‑Egypt round‑of‑16 match. The governing body confirmed a standing policy that prevents English referees, including Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, from overseeing any Argentine games, citing the historical sensitivity of the 1982 Falklands War and tournament neutrality rules.

At the same time, the Argentine Football Association disclosed that its email system had been breached. Unauthorized messages were sent to journalists claiming “corrupt refereeing” and praising Egypt, which the AFA said were not generated by its staff and appeared to originate from hackers alleged to be of Egyptian origin. The federation is investigating the breach and has asked recipients to disregard the emails while security checks are carried out.