Egypt coach criticizes refereeing after World Cup loss to Argentina
10 reported2 unconfirmed
Egypt’s national football team was eliminated from the World Cup after a 3-2 loss to Argentina, a match that included several controversial refereeing decisions. Egypt led 2-0 with 12 minutes remaining in regulation time, but Argentina scored three late goals, including a stoppage-time winner by Enzo Fernandez. Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan said his team was “treated unfairly” and “suffered injustice,” questioning the credibility of the officiating. The video assistant referee (VAR) disallowed an Egyptian goal for a foul, and Egypt players argued for a penalty on Mohamed Salah in the buildup to Argentina’s winning goal. The match also featured a penalty save, a red card for an Egyptian staff member, and a yellow card for Hassan for making a gesture associated with reporting racist incidents. BBC Sport reported that it has approached FIFA for comment.
What’s reported
Egypt led Argentina 2-0 with 12 minutes of normal time remaining in the World Cup round of 16 match in Atlanta Stadium.
Argentina scored three goals in the final minutes: Cristian Romero (79th minute), Lionel Messi (83rd minute), and Enzo Fernandez (second minute of stoppage time).
Egypt’s second goal by Mostafa Zico was disallowed by VAR after midfielder Marwan Attia was penalized for stepping on Lisandro Martinez.
Egypt players argued Mohamed Salah was fouled in Argentina’s penalty area seconds before Argentina’s winning goal.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan said his side was “treated unfairly” and “suffered injustice,” adding “perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition.”
Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saved a penalty from Lionel Messi.
A member of Egypt’s backroom staff was shown a red card.
Hassan was booked for crossing his arms in front of him, a FIFA-backed symbol for reporting racist incidents, but did not refer to the gesture after the match.
Egypt forward Zico said “the referee was really unfair.”
Egypt’s exit leaves Morocco as the last African team remaining in the tournament.
Open questions
Whether FIFA will respond to the complaints from Egypt’s coach and players.
Whether Mohamed Salah will play in the 2030 World Cup.
Key figures
Hossam Hassan: Egypt head coach
Mostafa Zico: Egypt forward
Mohamed Salah: Egypt captain
Marwan Attia: Egypt midfielder
Mostafa Shobeir: Egypt goalkeeper
Yasser Ibrahim: Egypt player who scored the opening goal
Lionel Messi: Argentina captain
Cristian Romero: Argentina player
Enzo Fernandez: Argentina player
Lisandro Martinez: Argentina player
Julian Alvarez: Argentina player
Alexis Mac Allister: Argentina player
Francois Letexier: French referee
Pierluigi Collina: FIFA’s head of referees
Sources: BBC News
