The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has launched a formal complaint to FIFA, demanding an investigation into the officiating team involved in Egypt’s dramatic World Cup last-16 defeat to Argentina.
Egypt accused French referee François Letexier and the video assistant referee (VAR) team of making “serious mistakes” and applying inconsistent standards during the match, which Argentina won 3-2 with a late stoppage-time goal.
In a statement, the EFA said it had asked FIFA to review the decisions made by the officials, alleging that key calls influenced the outcome of the game and contributed to Egypt’s elimination from the tournament.
The controversy centred around a disallowed Egyptian goal in the second half when Mostafa Zico appeared to double Egypt’s lead. The goal was ruled out after VAR intervened, with midfielder Marwan Attia penalised for stepping on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez during the build-up.
Egypt also protested what it believed was a missed penalty incident involving captain Mohamed Salah, who they claimed was fouled inside the Argentine box shortly before the defending champions scored the decisive goal.
“The Egyptian Football Federation has filed a complaint with FIFA demanding an investigation into the referee and the entire officiating crew following serious errors and double standards that affected the result of the match,” the EFA said.
The federation further called for the officials to be removed from the remainder of the World Cup if found guilty after the investigation.
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan expressed frustration after the match, saying his team had been treated unfairly and suggesting that decisions appeared to favour keeping the reigning champions in the competition.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” he said.
Egypt forward Mostafa Zico also criticised the officiating, claiming the team had faced unfair treatment throughout the game.
“The referee was really unfair. The injustice was clear,” Zico said.
Despite the complaints, historical precedent suggests FIFA is unlikely to take significant action. Similar protests from national teams at previous World Cups have often been dismissed, with governing bodies maintaining that refereeing decisions are part of the game and largely based on subjective interpretation.
At the 2022 World Cup, France appealed a controversial VAR decision that ruled out a late goal in their defeat to Tunisia, but FIFA rejected the complaint without providing detailed reasons.
Egypt, who have never reached the World Cup quarter-finals, exited the tournament after pushing Argentina to the limit in a tense encounter.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi played a decisive role in the comeback victory, assisting one goal before scoring the equaliser as the South Americans advanced to face Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
While Egypt continues to seek answers from FIFA, the likelihood of the result being overturned remains extremely low, as referee decisions are rarely changed after World Cup matches have concluded.
