Egypt complains officials were biased in World Cup loss to Argentina
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan argues with referee Francois Letexier, of France, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Erik S. Lesser/AP hide caption
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Erik S. Lesser/AP
ATLANTA — The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said Wednesday it "cannot remain silent" after what it believes was unfair and biased officiating in Egypt's 3-2 round of 16 loss against Argentina on Tuesday.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticized the officiating after being left in disbelief as Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in World Cup history.
"Defending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not a matter that can be ignored, minimized, or treated as secondary," the EFA said in a statement. "It is a responsibility that we carry with full conviction and determination."
FIFA's chief of refereeing Pierluigi Collina, in a statement issued later Wednesday, said while constructive discussion about decisions would always be part of football, "unfounded allegations have no place in our sport."
"Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials," he said. "When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right."
The EFA said that the referee failed to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system appropriately, leading to the loss to Argentina.
Egypt appeared to have netted its second goal in the 58th minute, but a VAR review determined that Marwan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez early in the buildup up to the goal.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan talks to his players during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Chris Carlson/AP hide caption
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Chris Carlson/AP
"Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game," the EFA statement read.
Collina said "during a competition, we prefer not to focus on specific incidents," but he defended the Attia decision.
"If a foul is identified in the build-up and is deemed to have had an impact on the goal, the VAR will recommend an on-field review," Collina said. "There is no defined limit regarding either the distance from goal or the amount of time between the incident and the goal."
He said in the disputed case, Attia "clearly treads on the foot of Argentina No. 6 Lisandro Martínez."
"We believe that a foul is a foul," Collina added. "Regardless of whether the foul appears 'obvious,' if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene."
Mostafa Ziko netted later to give Egypt a 2-0 lead, but all momentum shifted onto Argentina's side when Lionel Messi assisted Cristian Romero in the 79th minute — the first of three consecutive goals.
Hassan held his arms up in an "X" shape to signal racial abuse after Argentina's game-winner two minutes into stoppage time. After the game, Hassan said his team was the victim of a soccer establishment that favored Messi and Argentina.
In the dramatic climax to the game Egypt's goalkeeping coach Saafan Elsaghir was red-carded and several yellow cards were dished out to Egyptian players. The EFA's statement said that a number of experts and analysts have defended Egypt, underlining the importance of integrity, fairness and transparency in officiating on soccer's biggest stage.
The EFA statement expressed the frustration among Egypt players, staff and supporters.
"Every player who wears the Egyptian shirt, and every supporter who stands behind the team, deserves fairness, respect, and equal application of the laws of the game."
Read the full story at NPR ↗
Egypt's Football Association lodged a formal complaint Wednesday regarding the officiating in its 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup round of 16. The EFA specifically disputed a VAR-assisted decision that disallowed an Egyptian goal in the 58th minute, when a foul was identified in the buildup play. Egypt's coach and players expressed concern about consistency in refereeing decisions during the match, particularly after Argentina staged a comeback with three goals in 13 minutes. FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina issued a statement defending the officials' decisions, including the disallowed goal, stating that fouls identified in buildup play warrant VAR intervention regardless of distance or time from the goal. He emphasized the integrity of World Cup officials and cautioned against unfounded allegations that could expose referees to threats.
Read the full story at NPR ↗
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan argues with referee Francois Letexier, of France, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Erik S. Lesser/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Erik S. Lesser/AP
ATLANTA — The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said Wednesday it "cannot remain silent" after what it believes was unfair and biased officiating in Egypt's 3-2 round of 16 loss against Argentina on Tuesday.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and several players criticized the officiating after being left in disbelief as Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to pull off one of the biggest comebacks in World Cup history.
"Defending the rights and interests of the Egyptian national team is not a matter that can be ignored, minimized, or treated as secondary," the EFA said in a statement. "It is a responsibility that we carry with full conviction and determination."
FIFA's chief of refereeing Pierluigi Collina, in a statement issued later Wednesday, said while constructive discussion about decisions would always be part of football, "unfounded allegations have no place in our sport."
"Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials," he said. "When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right."
The EFA said that the referee failed to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system appropriately, leading to the loss to Argentina.
Egypt appeared to have netted its second goal in the 58th minute, but a VAR review determined that Marwan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez early in the buildup up to the goal.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan talks to his players during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Chris Carlson/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Chris Carlson/AP
"Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game," the EFA statement read.
Collina said "during a competition, we prefer not to focus on specific incidents," but he defended the Attia decision.
"If a foul is identified in the build-up and is deemed to have had an impact on the goal, the VAR will recommend an on-field review," Collina said. "There is no defined limit regarding either the distance from goal or the amount of time between the incident and the goal."
He said in the disputed case, Attia "clearly treads on the foot of Argentina No. 6 Lisandro Martínez."
"We believe that a foul is a foul," Collina added. "Regardless of whether the foul appears 'obvious,' if the referee did not see it on the field of play, the VAR can intervene."
Mostafa Ziko netted later to give Egypt a 2-0 lead, but all momentum shifted onto Argentina's side when Lionel Messi assisted Cristian Romero in the 79th minute — the first of three consecutive goals.
Hassan held his arms up in an "X" shape to signal racial abuse after Argentina's game-winner two minutes into stoppage time. After the game, Hassan said his team was the victim of a soccer establishment that favored Messi and Argentina.
In the dramatic climax to the game Egypt's goalkeeping coach Saafan Elsaghir was red-carded and several yellow cards were dished out to Egyptian players. The EFA's statement said that a number of experts and analysts have defended Egypt, underlining the importance of integrity, fairness and transparency in officiating on soccer's biggest stage.
The EFA statement expressed the frustration among Egypt players, staff and supporters.
"Every player who wears the Egyptian shirt, and every supporter who stands behind the team, deserves fairness, respect, and equal application of the laws of the game."
Read the full story at NPR ↗
Egypt lost 3-2 to Argentina in a World Cup round of 16 match on July 7, 2026 in Atlanta Egypt appeared to score a second goal in the 58th minute, but VAR determined Marwan Attia fouled Lisandro Martínez in the buildup, and the goal was disallowed Argentina scored three consecutive goals in 13 minutes, including the winning goal two minutes into stoppage time Egypt's Football Association stated it 'cannot remain silent' and issued a formal complaint citing unfair and biased officiating Egypt's coach Hossam Hassan signaled after Argentina's game-winner that his team experienced racial abuse and accused the soccer establishment of favoring Messi and Argentina FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the disallowed goal decision, stating that fouls identified during buildup play warrant VAR intervention The EFA statement said that experts and analysts have defended Egypt and underlined the importance of integrity, fairness and transparency in officiating
Read the full story at NPR ↗
- Egypt's Football Association formally protested the officiating in its 3-2 World Cup round-of-16 loss to Argentina on July 7, 2026, citing unfair and biased decisions
- A VAR review disallowed an Egyptian goal in the 58th minute after determining forward Marwan Attia fouled Argentine defender Lisandro Martínez during the buildup
- Argentina scored three unanswered goals in 13 minutes to complete a comeback; Egypt's coach accused the soccer establishment of favoring Messi and Argentina
- FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended the officiating decisions and rejected what he called unfounded allegations against match officials