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World Cup: Egypt coach decries refereeing decisions after dramatic defeat to Argentina
08th July, 2026 08:15 AM
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan was left raging about the officiating after his team’s elimination from the World Cup in a dramatic 3-2 loss to Argentina in the round of 16 on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Speaking after the captivating clash, the head coach shifted blame to the officiating, calling several decisions by French referee Francois Letexier “unfair” and claiming the World Cup was “directed towards Argentina” following the defeat.
Hassan claimed his side was wrongly denied a second goal at 1-0, following a video assistant referee check, and that Egypt should have been awarded a penalty in stoppage time moments before Enzo Fernandes scored Argentina’s third.
Unfair
“We have not seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out, and a second incident that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR. A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed,” he lamented.
“There seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome,” he stated.
He also stated that the referee wasted a whole nation, taking a swipe against FIFA by suggesting that the “World Cup was being directed towards Argentina.
“The referee is unfair; he is wasting the effort on an entire nation, and the World Cup is being directed towards Argentina,” he added.
In the dramatic clash in Georgia, Argentina came from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
The African led the match through a 15-minute goal until the final ten minutes, when the defending champions turned the clash on its head.
Argentina fight back
Goals from Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi, who had earlier missed a penalty, saw Lionel Scaloni’s side claw back in the final ten minutes.
Enzo Fernandes’ sucker punch sealed a memorable victory for the back-to-back Copa América champions in a seven-minute added time.
The victory sets up a quarter-final clash with Switzerland, who defeated Colombia in the other round of 16 match.
