FIFA's 'reckoning' decision for post-World Cup: Penalties on the way for those targeting referees

As excitement and tension reach their peak at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, off-pitch "referee" controversies are also growing. FIFA has pressed the button for referees who have been placed in the crosshairs by teams that have been eliminated or feel aggrieved by critical decisions. Not wanting to cast a shadow over the course and prestige of the tournament, the FIFA administration has decided to issue penalties not during the tournament, but collectively immediately after the trophy finds its owner, just as it did in Qatar 2022.

NEW YORK TIMES: "THE TOURNAMENT WILL END, THE PENALTIES WILL RAIN DOWN"

According to the report by The New York Times based on FIFA sources, players, coaches, and even national federations that make statements during the organization that undermine the integrity, impartiality, and authority of the referees will face very heavy sanctions.

FIFA has suspended disciplinary processes to avoid creating new crises while the tournament is ongoing and to keep the focus on football. However, all violations, statements, and reports are being archived one by one.

As soon as the trophy finds its owner, historic bans and fines will be served to the players, coaches, and federations of many countries, primarily England, Egypt, and Switzerland, which have reacted very harshly to referee decisions and made accusations.

STERN WARNING FROM LEGENDARY REFEREE COLLINA: "NO ONE CAN QUESTION OUR INTEGRITY"

Making a statement regarding the snowballing accusations and conspiracy theories, FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina defended the refereeing staff in very harsh terms:

"No one can question the integrity and impartiality of any referee serving in the World Cup organization; we will never allow this. These baseless claims and targeting of referees, suggesting they are acting with bias, not only undermine authority on the pitch but also directly endanger the safety of our referees and their families."

QATAR 2022 FORMULA IN EFFECT

This is not the first time FIFA has applied this deferred penalty method. During the Qatar 2022 World Cup, very harsh statements were made against referees, especially during the quarter-final and semi-final stages, and FIFA had remained silent so as not to disrupt the magic of the tournament. However, after the final whistle blew, months-long bans and fines of hundreds of thousands of francs were issued to many players and federations that violated the rules. A similar wave of penalties is expected to be implemented much more severely immediately after this tournament.

News Source: 12punto