Egypt coach Hossam Hassan expressed strong dissatisfaction after his team's 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup in Atlanta. Egypt had initially held a 2-0 lead until Argentina's Cristian Romero scored in the 79th minute. Lionel Messi equalized four minutes later, and Enzo Fernandez scored the winning goal two minutes into stoppage time.

Hassan said his team "suffered an injustice" and was treated unfairly during the match. He specifically criticized French referee Francois Letexier, who disallowed a goal that had initially put Egypt up 2-0 following a VAR review. Hassan also revealed that Egypt had objected to Letexier officiating the match, citing concerns about his "background."

Nine minutes into extra time, Hassan received a yellow card after protesting the lack of a VAR review. He stated, "I'm not convinced with the way things unfolded during this match," and added, "Maybe he has something to hide. Whoever has something to hide sometimes fails to hide what he is hiding."

Following the loss, Hassan vowed not to watch any more matches during the 2026 World Cup after his team came close to upsetting the defending champions.

Sources