Former World Cup official rejects conspiracy theories over Argentina

A former assistant referee who officiated at two World Cups has strongly rejected conspiracy theories suggesting that FIFA wants Argentina and Lionel Messi to win the tournament, insisting that match officials are independent and make decisions without bias.

Speaking to the media, the official, who served as an assistant referee at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups as part of a team led by Howard Webb, said referees are forced to deal with accusations of being part of a conspiracy all the time, calling the idea "nonsense."

Independence of match officials

The former official explained that referees at the World Cup come from different countries and confederations, and FIFA effectively borrows their services for six weeks. They train separately from FIFA's executive committee and have no contact with senior officials during the tournament.

"We are completely distinct from FIFA, in a separate training camp," he said. "I'm sorry to disappoint any conspiracy theorists, but I can promise you there aren't any clandestine meetings between FIFA's executive committee and the referees. We don't see any of the suits at all."

He described the daily routine as full-on, involving physical training, watching clips, and debriefing matches from the previous day, leaving little downtime. Once an assignment is completed, preparation for the next begins immediately.

Rumours of a Messi-Yamal final

The official addressed a specific rumour that FIFA wanted an Argentina vs. Spain final to symbolise a passing of the baton between Messi and Lamine Yamal. He said he had no knowledge of a photograph showing Messi with a baby Yamal, and suspected most referees at the current World Cup were similarly unaware.

"The suggestion that referees are in on some kind of masterplan to make sure Messi gets to the final is just not true, obviously," he stated.

Mistakes are human, not deliberate

Acknowledging that referees make mistakes, the official said this is human nature and not evidence of a predetermined outcome. He recalled a Champions League match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich where Messi went down in the penalty area but no penalty was awarded. Reviewing the footage later, they concluded it probably was a penalty, but the decision was made honestly in the heat of the moment.

"You just make the decision, irrespective of the teams and which players are involved. You're making a judgement as to whether a player has been fouled. You often don't even have time to even look to see who the players involved are. You're just seeing a red shirt against a blue shirt," he said.

Damage caused by conspiracy theories

The official warned that conspiracy theories and accusations of bias cause real damage and lead to abuse for referees. He cited an incident after Argentina's 3-2 win over Egypt in the last 16, when Egypt accused referee Francois Letexier and his team of deliberately favouring Argentina. Pierluigi Collina, who oversees all referees at the World Cup, issued a defence of his officials, underlining their integrity and independence.

Collina was right to say that such narratives can lead to threats against a referee's family, the former official said, adding that he had seen it before. He considered himself lucky that, as an assistant referee, he did not personally face such abuse.

Memories of the 2010 final

The official recalled the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands, which Spain won 1-0. The match was extremely challenging to officiate, with 14 yellow cards and a red card for Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga. Nigel de Jong could have seen red as well, he noted. Despite the difficulty, he described it as a proud day for the officiating team.