Criticism of refereeing at World Cup emerges after England's win over Mexico
The Guardian Sport • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 8, 2026, 9:22 AM
Last updated Jul 8, 2026

Following England's recent victory against Mexico at the World Cup, Thomas Tuchel criticized the refereeing as unreliable and erratic. Despite his claims, the assessment suggests that officials have generally performed adequately, aided by VAR technology. In a separate incident, Egypt contested a goal disallowed against Argentina, but official rulings on the plays were deemed correct. The match included a foul that influenced the decision on Egypt's goal, emphasizing the complexities referees face.
- •Thomas Tuchel criticized World Cup refereeing after England's match.
- •Officials have generally made accurate calls, assisted by VAR.
- •Egypt disputed a goal against Argentina, but officials upheld the ruling.
- •The foul on Lisandro Martínez influenced the decision on Egypt's goal.
- 9:22 AMThe Guardian Sport — Refereeing at this World Cup has been fine, we don’t need input of Tuchel and Trump | Chris Foy
"Give or take the odd error, officials have got it right on most occasions, while VAR has helped them when they haven’t Thomas Tuchel was critical of the refereeing at the World Cup after England’s win against Mexico, describing it as unreliable, erratic and not good enough. His comments struck me as reverse psychology – the referees have generally been OK, with some positive decisions made, but there have also been occasions when they have not got things right. Like everyone, referees cannot be perfect. Egypt claimed they were victims of an injustice against Argentina on Tuesday but the decisions to disallow an Egypt goal and let Argentina’s winner stand were correct. On the first one there was a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez in the attacking possession phase – a shirt pull and studs on Martínez’s right foot – and there is no time limit or ceiling on the number of passes to be taken into account. Continue reading...
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