No room for favouritism in VAR era: Scaloni

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has firmly dismissed allegations of favouritism towards his team, saying modern technology leaves no room for bias and that such claims are merely social media rumours.

The question of whether Argentina receives preferential treatment from referees has become a recurring theme at Scaloni's press conferences. At a recent briefing, when the subject of a disallowed goal against Egypt in the knockout stage was raised, Scaloni rejected the accusations outright.

"Since VAR came in, there is no possibility of receiving favouritism from referees," Scaloni said. "There is no scope for a double meaning of VAR decisions. Lisandro Martinez's foot was clearly stepped on. Whether it was a little or a lot, it is a certain foul. There is no scope for any other interpretation."

The Argentina coach further emphasised that in 2026, with such advanced technology, gaining any additional advantage is simply impossible. "Football is clear and has its rules," he said.

Scaloni suggested that some people are spreading these rumours because they do not want to see Argentina win, and he has chosen to use this as motivation rather than frustration.

"In 1986, they also said Argentina was getting unfair advantages," he said. "This is nothing new for us. Argentina has always been a team to be respected in the World Cup, and still is. There are people who don't like to see Argentina win. These comments only inspire my team to play better football."