On July 8, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) publicly criticized refereeing decisions in Egypt's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round-of-16 match. Egypt had appeared poised for a major upset, leading defending champions Argentina 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining before conceding three late goals.

The EFA stated that several decisions during the match directly affected the outcome and raised serious concerns about the consistency and fairness of officiating. The federation emphasized the importance of maintaining integrity, fairness, and transparency in officiating at a tournament of the World Cup's stature.

A key moment involved a goal disallowed after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review identified a foul by an Egyptian player in the buildup. Egypt's late appeals for a penalty after Hamdy Fathy was challenged were also dismissed, preceding Argentina's winning goal in the 92nd minute.

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green, commenting on Fox's broadcast, questioned the scope of VAR's review, stating, "Surely, this is not within VAR's [realm] to review this," referring to the foul that led to the disallowed goal.

According to media reports, EFA President Hany Abo Rida has submitted an official complaint to FIFA against French referee Francois Letexier and his assistants. Egyptian football officials have reportedly lodged this complaint, although FIFA has not responded to requests for comment.

Coach Hossam Hassan and captain Mohamed Salah expressed disappointment following the match, with several former players and pundits also questioning the officiating.

Sources