Egypt has filed a formal complaint with FIFA following their dramatic 3-2 World Cup Round of 16 loss to Argentina, demanding that the match officials be excluded from the remainder of the competition. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) president, Hany Abo Rida, submitted the complaint, calling for a formal investigation into several contentious refereeing decisions that they believe cost them the match.
Controversial incidents spark outrage
The match, played in Atlanta on Tuesday, saw Argentina mount a stunning late comeback. Trailing 2-0 with just 11 minutes remaining, goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and Enzo Fernández secured a dramatic victory for the defending champions. However, the game was overshadowed by disputed calls. Egypt was denied a penalty moments before Argentina's third goal, when Julian Alvarez tackled Mohamed Salah inside the box, appearing to catch his foot. Additionally, Alexis Mac Allister seemed to pull Hamdi Fathy during the same sequence. VAR did not intervene, and Argentina scored shortly after.
Earlier, Egypt had a goal disallowed after Zico finished a counter-attack, but VAR ruled that Lisandro Martinez had been fouled in the build-up. The EFA argues that these decisions were unjust and have requested that referee Francois Letexier and his team be barred from officiating further matches in the tournament.
Egyptian players and coach speak out
Egyptian players and coaching staff have voiced strong accusations. Zico, whose goal was disallowed before he scored later in the second half, said: 'The referee wasn't good, he was unfair. His injustice was clear. He persecuted us from the start of the match. He doesn't want us to win. It was a rigged game. It wasn't our fault. That referee… it seems like this match was rigged. We were winning 2-0, and he kept coming at us. Congratulations to Argentina on another World Cup, it seems.'
Head coach Hossam Hassam also launched an extraordinary attack on match officials and FIFA, accusing them of going to extreme lengths to 'keep Messi' in the competition. '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,' he said. 'Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.'
FIFA yet to respond
FIFA has not yet taken any decision on Egypt's request. The EFA is demanding an investigation into the disallowed goal and the two infringements before Argentina's third goal. The complaint, first reported by Argentina's TYC Sports, underscores Egypt's frustration as they were eliminated in a match they led until the 79th minute. Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
