Published On 7/8/2026
The repercussions of the confrontation between Portugal and Croatia continue, after the Croatian Football Federation announced its intention to demand official explanations from FIFA, following the cancellation of the equalizer goal scored by Joshko Gvardiol, in a decision that sparked widespread controversy.
Not only did Croatia protest against the arbitration decisions that accompanied its loss to Portugal in the 2026 World Cup, but it escalated its position by sending an official letter to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), hinting at filing a complaint against the backdrop of what it described as the misuse of technology.
Croatian Federation spokesman Tomislav Bakak said: “We sent a letter to the FIFA president expressing our disappointment and objection to the Portugal match, not because of the refereeing decisions themselves, as these remain a matter of discussion after every match, but because of the way in which those decisions were made.”
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He added that, in his opinion, video technology was applied incorrectly when awarding the penalty kick for Portugal, stressing that the match referee should not have been called to review the shot.
The Croatian Federation also criticized the decision to cancel Gvardiol’s goal, considering that the offside calculation was based on non-existent interference from Matanovic, despite what the ball sensor data showed.
Bakak added: “We consider what happened to be a misuse of technology. We support technical development in football, but we believe that applying it in this way does not serve FIFA, the teams, or the fans.”
He pointed out that the Croatian Federation is awaiting an official response from FIFA, warning that this precedent may open the door to further controversy over the use of technology in arbitration.
FIFA had explained that the sensor inside the ball detected the ball touching the hair of striker Igor Matanovic, which was considered an interference that led to an offside ruling and the goal being cancelled. However, the Croatian Federation rejected this explanation, considering that the technology was used incorrectly, and that the decision contradicted the laws of the game and the spirit of football.
An upcoming complaint
According to the Croatian Federation, the letter addressed to FIFA may not be the end of the case, as the Croatian body is considering taking additional legal steps if it does not obtain convincing clarifications regarding the controversial decisions.
This step comes at a time when criticism of arbitration and assistance techniques during the 2026 World Cup is increasing, after several federations, including Belgium and England, had previously expressed their objection to some of the decisions witnessed in the tournament.
