Egypt FA condemns refereeing after dramatic World Cup defeat to Argentina

• The Egyptian Football Association has criticised the officiating following Egypt’s controversial World Cup exit against Argentina.
• The federation questioned several VAR decisions and said key incidents directly influenced the outcome of the match.
• Egypt were eliminated after Argentina recovered from two goals down to win 3-2 and reach the quarterfinals.

The Egyptian Football Association has criticised the officiating during Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup round of 16, stating it could not remain silent over refereeing decisions that it believes affected the outcome of the match.

Egypt surrendered a two-goal advantage as the reigning world champions scored three times in the final 13 minutes to complete one of the most remarkable comebacks of the tournament.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the federation questioned both the decisions made on the field and the use of the Video Assistant Referee.

“The Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decisions witnessed during the match against Argentina as well as the failure to make appropriate use of the Video Assistant Referee system,” the statement read.

Egypt thought they had restored their two-goal advantage in the 58th minute, but the goal was disallowed following a VAR review after officials ruled Marawan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez in the build-up.

The federation argued that several moments during the match deserved greater scrutiny.

“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,” the statement continued.

Argentina completed their comeback when Enzo Fernández scored in stoppage time to secure victory and a place in the quarterfinals.

The winning goal sparked angry scenes near the Egypt technical area, with goalkeeping coach Saafan Elsaghir shown a red card after confronting officials. Multiple members of the Egypt bench were also booked after protesting a possible foul by Alexis Mac Allister in the build-up to Fernández’s winner, an incident that was not reviewed by VAR.

The federation said the events had left players, staff and supporters deeply frustrated.

“What occurred during the match has understandably generated widespread frustration among our players, staff, and supporters, who expected the highest standards of officiating on football’s biggest stage,” the statement said.

Egypt appeared to be in complete control after Mostafa Zico extended their lead to 2-0 in the 67th minute.

However, Lionel Messi helped spark Argentina’s comeback by assisting Cristian Romero before scoring the equaliser himself, with Fernández completing the turnaround in stoppage time.

Head coach Hossam Hassan had already voiced his frustration after the match, suggesting his side had been treated unfairly.

“We looked better than the reigning champions, 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.”

Argentina advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals, where they will face Switzerland.

The Egyptian Football Association concluded its statement by calling for equal treatment for every team competing at the tournament.

“Every player who wears the Egyptian shirt, and every supporter who stands behind the team, deserves fairness, respect, and equal application of the laws of the game.”