Egypt demand FIFA investigation into officiating of Argentina match

After Egypt coach Hossam Hassan outlined several complaints in the immediate aftermath of Argentina's come-from-behind 3-2 win in the round of 16 on Tuesday, the Egyptian ‌Football Foundation followed up on Wednesday with two statements amplifying their country's ​issues with ⁠the officiating.

The second statement revealed that EFA president ‌Hany Abou Rida filed ‌a formal complaint with FIFA "demanding an investigation into the French referee Francois Letexier after the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the team of referees and ‌double standards, which caused the Egypt team to lose the match and ⁠leave the World Cup."

As part of the complaint, Egypt "demanded the exclusion of the referee and the entire crew from the World Cup after investigating these mistakes."

Egypt led 2-0 late in the second half before Argentina reeled off three goals in a 13-minute stretch to advance to ​the quarterfinals.

Argentina's Lionel Messi and Geronimo Rulli celebrate after the match as Argentina qualify for the quarter finals of the World Cup as Egypt's Hossam Abdelmaguid and Ramy Rabia look dejected after being eliminated. Reuters

That late lead could have been 3-0, but Egypt ‌had a goal in the 58th minute disallowed after a VAR replay discerned an Egypt foul against an Argentina player shortly before the goal.

"The ⁠Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent," the first statement began, "regarding the refereeing decisions witnessed during the match against Argentina as well as the failure to make appropriate ​use ‌of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

"Several key incidents raised serious concerns ‌and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game.

"A number of football experts and specialist analysts, both ‌locally and internationally, ‌have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing incidents ⁠during the match.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan is shown a yellow card by referee Francois Letexier. Reuters

This underlines the importance of ‌maintaining the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and transparency in match officiating, particularly in a competition of the stature and significance ⁠of the FIFA World Cup 2026."

Hassan's translated words after Tuesday's ​match put Egypt's opinion more bluntly.
"There was neither respect nor fair play today," Hassan said. "Argentina's victory is entirely undeserved."

Argentina play Switzerland in ⁠the quarterfinals on Saturday in Kansas ​City.

Reuters