July 8 (THEWILL) — The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has formally asked FIFA to investigate the officiating team that handled Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alleging serious refereeing errors that influenced the outcome of the match.
In a statement issued after Monday’s heartbreaking loss in Atlanta, the EFA said its president, Hany Abou Rida, had submitted an official complaint to world football’s governing body against French referee François Letexier and the video assistant referee (VAR) team.
The federation accused the match officials of applying “double standards” and claimed several key decisions unfairly went against Egypt during the contest.
One of the major incidents occurred with Egypt leading 1-0 in the second half when Mostafa Zico appeared to double the Pharaohs’ advantage.
However, following a VAR review, the goal was disallowed after midfielder Marwan Attia was judged to have fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez earlier in the attacking move.
The EFA also questioned the decision not to award Egypt a penalty after Mohamed Salah went down inside Argentina’s penalty area shortly before the South American side launched the counterattack that resulted in Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time winner.
According to the federation, FIFA should investigate what it described as “blatant refereeing errors” and the officials’ refusal to review certain incidents during the match.
The EFA further requested that the referee and the entire officiating team be removed from the remainder of the tournament if the investigation confirms its allegations.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan also criticised the officiating after the match, saying his side had been treated unfairly during the contest.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” Hassan told reporters after the game.
Forward Mostafa Zico was equally critical, describing the officiating as unfair and claiming his side had suffered injustice throughout the encounter.
Egypt had looked set for one of the greatest results in the country’s football history after taking a two-goal lead against the defending champions.
However, Argentina staged a dramatic late comeback, scoring three goals in the final stages to secure a 3-2 victory and advance to the quarter-finals.
FIFA has yet to publicly respond to the Egyptian Football Association’s complaint.
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