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Tactical controversy ignites the atmosphere at the World Cup
After witnessing several controversial refereeing decisions that left Portugal out, the Croatian federation has now attacked FIFA directly and is threatening to escalate the matter to seek explanations.
Early last Friday, Croatia was eliminated from the 32nd round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, losing to Portugal (2-1).
The arbitration disputes over the 2026 World Cup are still going on unabated. Just hours after the hotly contested case of USA striker Folarin Balogun, a new case has emerged that has sparked widespread controversy, increasing pressure on FIFA.
This time, the situation concerns the Croatian national team, which is believed to have been denied qualification due to several refereeing decisions that it considers incomprehensible, Network reports.Miss Mercato“.
It turned out to be a goal by Croatian defender Josko Guardioli, which was eventually disallowed after an intervention by video technology.At the center of anger of the Croatian Football Federation.
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The events of this match are still widely controversial in Europe, with Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) explaining that a sensor embedded in the ball detected contact with Igor Matanović’s hair, leading to an offside decision and the equalizer against Croatia being disallowed, but this reasoning did not convince Croatia.
The federation is once again under fire following criticism of the multiple refereeing controversies surrounding this World Cup season. This time, the complaint goes beyond post-match announcements as the Croatian Football Federation has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, asking for detailed clarification and considering further action.
In a letter addressed to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the Croatian Football Federation not only questioned some of the decisions of the Norwegian referee Espen Eskas, but also mainly criticized the way they were taken.
Federation spokesman Tomislav Bakak clearly explained the official position of the federation, saying: “The Croatian Football Federation has sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressing our deep disappointment and objection to the result of the Portugal match, not because of the refereeing decisions, as this can be discussed after each match, but we believe that it is the decision first. During the penalty awarded to the goal of Portugal, a completely wrong protocol was used, the referee should not have been asked to watch the video.”
He added: “More importantly, in Guardiola’s equaliser, and against the rules and the spirit of football, the offside flag was raised against Pasalic due to Matanovic’s non-existent interference, while the sensor indicated otherwise.”
Not content with a simple complaint, the Croatian Football Federation is now demanding an official response from FIFA regarding the entire action.
The federation believes this use of technology sets a dangerous precedent for world football and opens the door to wider challenges to refereeing decisions.
“We believe that this is an abuse of technology that we welcome in football, but we see that this application does not benefit FIFA, nor the teams, nor the fans,” he continued, without softening his stance.
“We know that our message will not alleviate the pain and frustration of fans and players, but we believe in the importance of alerting FIFA and demanding a detailed explanation of all decisions made.”
