Egypt have formally lodged a complaint with FIFA following their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, alleging serious refereeing errors that they believe denied them a historic place in the quarter-finals.
The Egyptian Football Federation has called for an investigation into French referee François Letexier and the entire VAR team, arguing that crucial decisions unfairly influenced the outcome.
Federation president Hany Aburida also requested that the officiating crew be removed from the remainder of the tournament if wrongdoing is established.
The controversy began when Mostafa Ziko had a goal disallowed after a lengthy VAR review for an earlier foul on Lisandro Martínez. Despite the setback, Ziko restored Egypt’s two-goal advantage, putting the Pharaohs within touching distance of their first-ever World Cup quarter-final.
Argentina, however, mounted a dramatic comeback through Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi before Enzo Fernández struck the decisive winner late in the match. Egypt’s biggest grievance came in the build-up to that goal, with officials waving play on despite claims that Alexis Mac Allister had pulled Hamdy Fathy inside the penalty area. Egyptian officials insist the incident deserved a VAR review and a penalty.
Head coach Hossam Hassan did not hide his frustration after the final whistle. He claimed his side had been “cheated” and suggested the refereeing lacked fairness and consistency.
Hassan even questioned whether Argentina, as defending world champions led by Messi, had received favourable treatment during key moments.
The controversy has reignited debate over the consistency of VAR decisions at the World Cup. While FIFA has yet to respond publicly to Egypt’s complaint, the incident is likely to remain one of the tournament’s most fiercely debated officiating controversies.