Egypt Files FIFA Complaint After Loss to Argentina

Egypt requests FIFA to investigate referee decisions after a controversial World Cup loss to Argentina, alleging critical officiating errors.

Egypt is officially disputing the outcome of its heartbreaking Round of 16 loss to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has called for an investigation into referee François Letexier and his officiating team following Tuesday’s dramatic 3-2 defeat.

The complaint was made public on Wednesday by EFA president Hany Abo Rida, who stated that significant officiating mistakes and inconsistent decision-making were instrumental in Egypt’s elimination from the tournament. The controversy erupted early in the match when Mostafa Ziko seemed to have scored for Egypt, only to have the goal disallowed after a video assistant referee (VAR) review determined that Lisandro Martínez had been fouled beforehand.

Despite this setback, Ziko managed to score later in the match, helping Egypt establish a 2-0 lead and bringing the team tantalizingly close to achieving their first-ever World Cup quarterfinal. However, Argentina rallied back with two late goals from Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi, followed by Enzo Fernández netting the winner.

One of Egypt’s main grievances arose just prior to Fernández’s decisive goal, with the EFA claiming that Hamdy Fathy was unfairly pulled down in the penalty area by Alexis Mac Allister. The federation contends that this incident warranted a penalty kick, which was ignored by the officials, despite the availability of video evidence.

The complaint submitted by the EFA requests a thorough investigation into the entire officiating crew, including the VAR officials, condemning the match’s officiating as riddled with significant errors and inconsistency. Moreover, they have demanded the removal of the refereeing team from the tournament if the alleged mistakes are confirmed.

Head coach Hossam Hassan echoed the sentiments of the EFA, expressing his discontent following the match. “I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck,” he remarked to reporters. “We have been cheated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.”

Hassan further suggested that external factors may have influenced the outcome, hinting that the tournament favorites might have received preferential treatment. “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” he commented during an interview with beIN Sports. “In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at every level.”

As of now, FIFA has not issued any public comments regarding Egypt’s complaint.