Egypt Demands FIFA Investigate Referee of Argentina Match and Ban Him from World Cup

The Egyptian Football Association has called on its international counterpart, FIFA, to open an investigation into the performance of the officiating team in Egypt’s Round of 16 match against Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, and to bar them from managing the remainder of the tournament, citing errors that significantly contributed to Egypt’s elimination.

Hani Abu Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, stated that he had filed an official complaint against French referee Francois Letexier and his team, including the Video Assistant Referees (VAR), objecting to decisions the association deemed “grave.” These included the failure to review footage that, in their view, warranted awarding a legitimate goal and a penalty kick in favor of the Pharaohs.

Abu Rida added that the complaint demanded the complete disqualification of the officiating team from the tournament if the investigation confirmed the alleged errors, accusing the referee and his team of “double standards” and “discrimination against the Egyptian national team.”

Egypt was eliminated from the World Cup after losing 3-2 to Argentina, despite leading 2-0 until the 78th minute in the match held in Atlanta.

On his part, Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan launched a sharp attack on the French referee, arguing that the match lacked refereeing fairness and that Egypt lost for “marketing reasons,” according to him.

Hassan claimed that football authorities desired Argentina’s advancement, which he believed was reflected in how the match was managed and the differential treatment afforded to their opponents. He affirmed that he had told his players after the match that he was proud of their performance and that the team was capable of competing with any opponent provided there was fairness.

Imam Ashour also criticized the referee’s decisions, pointing out that Mustafa Zico’s goal was disallowed without justification, and that Egypt deserved a penalty kick in the incident preceding Argentina’s third goal in stoppage time.

The referee’s decisions sparked widespread outrage within the Egyptian national team camp, particularly after Zico’s goal was annulled following a VAR review citing an error at the start of the attack, and after requests by players for a penalty kick before the counter-attack that led to Enzo Fernandez’s decisive goal were rejected.

In the final minutes, Egyptian players and coaching staff staged large protests before the referee showed a red card to goalkeeping coach Saifan Al-Sagheer, amid widespread fan criticism of the match management and accusations of double standards.