Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has accused FIFA and the match officials of denying his side a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals following a dramatic 3-2 defeat to the defending champions, the Argentina national football team, in Atlanta.
The Pharaohs appeared on course for one of the greatest victories in their history after racing into a 2-0 lead against the reigning world champions, only for Argentina to produce a stunning late comeback inspired by Lionel Messi.
Messi created Argentina's opening goal for Cristian Romero, scored the equaliser himself before Enzo Fernández struck deep into stoppage time to send the South Americans into the quarter-finals.
However, Egypt's celebrations quickly turned into anger after the final whistle as Hossam launched a scathing attack on the officiating, claiming his team had been victims of "injustice" and suggesting the tournament organisers wanted Argentina and Messi to remain in the competition.
"We deserved to earn this win, but we are leaving with pride because there was no fair play, no respect," Hossam told reporters after the match.
"There was no fair play in this match, and I'm not happy with it. We have suffered injustice. FIFA raises the slogan 'Fair Play', but we don't see it on the field. Were it not for the errors, the result would have been different."
The Egypt coach questioned several key decisions, including an appeal for a penalty after captain Mohamed Salah appeared to be brought down inside the penalty area by Julián Álvarez.
He also criticised the decision to disallow a goal scored by Mostafa Ziko following a VAR review for a foul on Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez earlier in the attacking move. Ziko would later score Egypt's second goal, giving the African side what looked to be a commanding 2-0 advantage with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Instead, Argentina mounted an extraordinary fightback, ending Egypt's historic World Cup campaign heartbreakingly.
Hossam also questioned the appointment of French referee François Letexier, saying Egypt had raised concerns before kickoff because of France's football rivalry with Argentina following the 2022 World Cup final.
"We looked better than the reigning champions, better in everything, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it," Hossam said. "Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running."
The Egyptian tactician revealed he confronted Letexier after the final whistle.
"What I told the referee was, 'This is unfair'. I said maybe he is carrying a scar or has something to hide. If somebody is trying to hide something, they often fail to hide it."
Egypt's frustration was echoed throughout the dressing room. Goalscorer Mostafa Ziko said the officials played a decisive role in the outcome.
"We were winning 2-0. After the 2-0 result, everything went against us and worked against us," he said. "I don't even know why the second goal was disallowed. If they had beaten us through their own effort, it would have made a big difference to us."
Reserve goalkeeper Mohamed Alaa also questioned the officiating, claiming Egypt should have been awarded a penalty before Argentina launched the counterattack that eventually led to the decisive goal.
"The refereeing was obvious in front of everyone," Mohamed said. "We had a goal disallowed, and we had a penalty. The penalty was turned against us into a counterattack goal."
Despite the painful defeat, goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir admitted Argentina's quality also played a part.
"Some mistakes happened from all of us in the last 10 minutes, but in the end we were playing against the world champions," he said.
Following the match, Salah gathered the squad inside the dressing room to lift morale after Egypt's best-ever FIFA World Cup campaign came to an end.
According to Mohamed, the Liverpool forward urged his teammates to remain proud of their achievement.
"He told us, 'Hard luck, it's over. It is God's decree. Let's build on this, and what comes next will be better, God willing'."
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has submitted an official complaint to FIFA, requesting an investigation into referee Letexier and the VAR team.
According to the EFA, several key refereeing and VAR decisions had a direct impact on the outcome of the match.
The Association has asked FIFA to review the officials' performance and take the appropriate action if any errors are found.
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