Egypt demand FIFA investigation into officiating of Argentina match

The complaint follows a controversial VAR decision in Egypt's World Cup defeat

Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Round of 16 - Argentina v Egypt - Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, US - Jul 7, 2026 Argentina's Lionel Messi scores their second goal past Egypt's Mostafa Shoubir REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

After Egypt coach Hossam Hassan outlined several complaints in the immediate aftermath of Argentina's come-from-behind 3-2 win in the round of 16 on Tuesday, the Egyptian Football Foundation followed up on Wednesday with two statements amplifying their country's issues with the officiating.

The second statement revealed that EFA president Hany Abou Rida filed a formal complaint with FIFA "demanding an investigation into the French referee Francois Letexier after the serious refereeing mistakes committed by the team of referees and double standards, which caused the Egypt team to lose the match and leave the World Cup."

As part of the complaint, Egypt "demanded the exclusion of the referee and the entire crew from the World Cup after investigating these mistakes”.

Egypt led 2-0 late in the second half before Argentina reeled off three goals in a 13-minute stretch to advance to the quarterfinals.

That late lead could have been 3-0, but Egypt had a goal in the 58th minute disallowed after a VAR replay discerned an Egypt foul against an Argentina player shortly before the goal.

"The Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent," the first statement began, "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.

"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.

"A number of football experts and specialist analysts, both locally and internationally, have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing incidents during the match.

“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."

Hassan's translated words after Tuesday's match put Egypt's opinion more bluntly.

"There was neither respect nor fair play today," Hassan said. "Argentina's victory is entirely undeserved."

Argentina play Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Kansas City.