Egypt lodge complaint with FIFA, seek removal of refereeing team after Argentina defeat

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has reportedly lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over the officiating in its dramatic 3-2 FIFA World Cup defeat to defending champions Argentina in Atlanta on Tuesday, demanding that French referee Francois Letexier and his team be removed from the remainder of the tournament.

Egypt looked on course for one of the biggest upsets of the competition after racing to a 2-0 lead. However, Argentina mounted a stunning comeback, with Lionel Messi scoring once and creating another before Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround deep into stoppage time.

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The Egyptian camp, however, was left furious over a series of controversial decisions, including a goal ruled out after a VAR review and a penalty appeal that was not reviewed in the build-up to Argentina’s match-winning goal.

According to Spanish publication Diario AS, EFA president Hany Abo Rida has submitted a formal protest to FIFA against Letexier and his officiating team, calling for an investigation into what the federation believes were decisive errors that unfairly influenced the result.

The report added that Egypt has also requested FIFA to remove the French officiating crew from the rest of the World Cup, arguing that their decisions had a significant impact on the outcome.

‘We were treated unfairly’: Egypt coach Hassan slams officiating

Head coach Hassan also voiced his frustration after the match, suggesting that factors beyond football had influenced the result and even hinting that there was a desire to keep Messi and Argentina in the tournament.

“We looked better than the reigning champion—better in everything—but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it,” Hassan said.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.”

He further alleged that Argentina benefited from favourable treatment throughout the contest.

“In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champion received support at every level,” he added.

Hassan specifically pointed to two incidents that he believes altered the course of the match: Egypt’s disallowed goal and a late penalty appeal involving Alexis Mac Allister that was not reviewed by VAR before Fernandez scored the winner.

“We haven’t seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out. It was not even checked by the VAR, and our second goal was, for whatever reason, disallowed. We have been treated unfairly, and it has been an injustice,” Hassan said.