The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has lodged an official complaint with FIFA, accusing the refereeing team led by François Letexier of making controversial decisions that it believes contributed to Egypt’s elimination from the FIFA World Cup.
Egypt was knocked out of the tournament on Tuesday after suffering a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 at Atlanta Stadium.
Despite leading 2-0 until the 79th minute, Egypt saw Argentina stage a remarkable comeback, with goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernández securing a place in the quarter-finals.
In its complaint, the EFA highlighted two key refereeing decisions it considers decisive.
The first concerns a goal scored by Mostafa Ziko, which was disallowed following a VAR review, despite Egypt insisting it should have stood.
The second relates to a penalty the EFA believes should have been awarded after Hamdy Fathy was fouled shortly before Argentina scored the winning goal.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan expressed deep frustration after the match, claiming his team had been unfairly treated by the officials.
“We were treated unjustly. I will not watch another minute of the remaining World Cup matches,” Hassan said.
Although disappointed by the result, Hassan praised his players for their performance against one of the tournament’s strongest teams. He noted that many members of the squad play in the Egyptian domestic league but demonstrated they could compete with some of the world’s best footballers. He also commended goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir for his outstanding display, which helped Egypt maintain its lead for much of the match.
Hassan also made comments that have sparked debate, suggesting there were concerns that FIFA might want to see Argentina win the World Cup. Several Egyptian players reportedly expressed similar sentiments after the match.
As of now, FIFA has not issued any official response to Egypt’s complaint or indicated whether an investigation will be launched.
Following their victory over Egypt, Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals after the Swiss defeated Colombia 4-3 on penalties, following a goalless draw after 120 minutes.
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