Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan strongly criticized FIFA and match officials after Egypt suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup round of 16.
Egypt looked close to a historic win after taking a 2-0 lead. Yasser Ibrahim scored an early header, while goalkeeper saved a penalty from Lionel Messi. Mostafa Ziko later doubled Egypt’s advantage in the second half.
However, Argentina made a stunning late comeback at Atlanta Stadium. Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández scored three goals in the final 13 minutes to send the defending champions into the next round.
The match was surrounded by major controversy. Egypt were furious after a VAR decision disallowed what they believed was a crucial second goal in the 59th minute. Their coaching staff said the decision changed the direction of the match.
After the game, Hassan accused officials of unfair treatment. He claimed Egypt had performed better than the defending champions but lost because of decisions on and off the pitch. He suggested there was pressure to keep Argentina and Messi in the tournament.
Hassan called the result undeserved and said he would not watch the rest of the World Cup as a personal protest. He also said he confronted French referee François Letexier after the final whistle and told him the decision-making was unfair.
The Egyptian camp also questioned why an alleged shirt-pull on Mohamed Salah inside the penalty area was not reviewed by VAR. They further claimed Alexis Mac Allister may have fouled an Egyptian player before Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time winner.
Hassan also criticized the appointment of a French referee, saying Egypt had already objected before the match because of past tensions involving Argentina and France.
Despite his anger, Hassan praised his players for their brave performance. He said Egypt left the tournament with pride after pushing the defending champions to the limit.
