Egypt FA Slams Refereeing in Argentina Loss
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- The Egyptian Football Association issued a Wednesday statement saying it "cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decisions" in the 3-2 round-of-16 loss to Argentina and cited failures in VAR use.
- Argentina erased a 2-0 deficit, with Enzo Fernández scoring the winner two minutes into stoppage time after Egypt had a goal disallowed following a VAR review.
- Egypt coach Hossam Hassan labeled the result an "injustice" and suggested FIFA wanted Lionel Messi "to stay in the running" — Messi had scored the 2-2 equalizer after Mostafa Zico's 67th-minute strike.
- Goalkeeping coach Saafan Elsaghir was shown a red card and had to be physically restrained from confronting French referee François Letexier after Fernández's winning goal.
- The EFA specifically flagged the failure to review an apparent foul by Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister in the buildup to the decisive goal.
- Hassan announced a personal boycott of the rest of the tournament: "I'm not going to watch, not a single match."
- FIFA has not commented on the EFA statement; Argentina advances to face Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
Why it matters: Egypt's formal complaint turns a refereeing dispute into an official FIFA grievance, while Hassan's personal vow to stop watching the tournament — and his allegation that the governing body tilted the match for Messi — signals the kind of institutional anger that pressures FIFA to address officiating standards in future rounds.
