Egypt’s Mohamed Salah (10) is challenged by Argentina’s Julian Alvarez in the first half of a Round of 16 FIFA World Cup match Tuesday at Atlanta Stadium. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
The Egyptian Football Association criticized a referee from its team’s World Cup loss to Argentina, citing concerns about unfairness Wednesday in a statement.
The association also filed a complaint against Francois Letexier, a French referee who worked during the match Tuesday in Atlanta. FIFA had no comment.
Several controversial sequences unfolded in the final minutes of the Round of 16 meeting. An Egyptian score was disallowed due to a foul in the 58th minute. The Argentines, who trailed by two goals in the 79th minute, then completed an epic rally to advance to the quarterfinals.
With the Lionel Messi-sparked victory, the Argentines became the first team in World Cup history to overcome a two-goal deficit with 15 minutes remaining and win a knockout stage match inside regulation. They are also the first reigning champion to overcome such a deficit.
But the Egyptians, who were denied one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, continued to express frustration in the wake of the thriller.
After review, Egypt is called for a foul and the goal is disallowed. pic.twitter.com/9KJiFgVjMI— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026
The Egyptian Football Association thanked supporters and players for their run to the Round of 16, but then addressed the officiating from the match in a statement Wednesday on social media.
“At the same time, the Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decisions witnessed during the match against Argentina, as well as the failure to make appropriate use of the video assistant referee (VAR) system,” the association said.
“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 association’s official website said refereeing from the match “is under suspicion.” A game summary on the website cited a missed foul committed on Mohammed Salah in the 16th minute, a “gift” of a free kick to Argentina in the 45th and another missed call in stoppage time, which occurred just before the game-winning score.
“A number of football experts and specialist analysts, both locally and internationally, have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing incidents during the match,” the association said.
“This underlines the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity, fairness and transparency in match officiating, particularly in a competition of the stature and significance of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“What occurred during the match has understandably generated widespread frustration among our players, staff, and supporters, who expected the highest standards of officiating on football’s biggest stage.”
Egyptian manager Hossam Hassan said he felt his team was “treated unfairly” during the match and cited outside influence on referees. His players also criticized officials for their performance.
“We looked better than the reigning champions,” Hassan told reporters. “We were better in everything, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it. Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.
“In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champion received support at every level.”
The Egyptians advanced past the group stage just twice since 1934, with their first Round of 16 finish at that year’s tournament. They scored a national-record eight goals at the 2026 World Cup. The Egyptians sit at No. 24 in the FIFA World Rankings.
No. 2 Argentina will take on No. 14 Switzerland in a World Cup quarterfinal at 9 p.m. EDT Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. The winner will play No. 4 England or No. 19 Norway in a semifinal July 15 in Atlanta.
FIFA World Cup: Argentina defeats Egypt
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal against Egypt to tie the score 2-2 in the second half of their 2026 FIFA World Cup match in Atlanta on July 7, 2026. Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
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