ATLANTA, United States — Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has launched a blistering attack on the officiating and accused FIFA of favouritism after his team suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup round of 16, vowing not to watch another match in the tournament.
Hassan claimed his side were “treated unfairly” and “suffered an injustice” after a late collapse saw the defending champions overturn a 2-0 deficit in Atlanta. The Egyptian bench was furious with French referee Francois Letexier over two key decisions: the disallowal of a goal that would have made it 2-0, and the failure to award a penalty in the build-up to Argentina’s stoppage-time winner.
“We haven’t seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out, it was not even checked by the VAR, and our second goal was remarkably disallowed,” Hassan said in his post-match press conference. “Life is unfair, but why isn’t there any fairness in sports? I’m not convinced by this outcome.”
The Egypt manager suggested external factors influenced the result, alleging that FIFA wanted to keep the tournament’s biggest star in the competition. “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the tournament. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” Hassan said, referring to Lionel Messi, who scored the equaliser.
Hassan also criticised the scheduling, questioning why the match was scheduled for noon. “Whoever schedules these matches is someone who has never played football. You never schedule a football match at 12 noon,” he said.
Forward Mostafa Ziko, who scored Egypt’s second goal, echoed his manager’s frustration. “The referee threw away the effort of an entire nation,” Ziko said. “The tournament is rigged. No matter what happens, Argentina is going to win.”
Hassan confirmed that Egypt had objected to Letexier’s appointment due to his French nationality, referencing Argentina’s 2022 final victory over France. The coach was booked for his protests and later revealed he told the referee “maybe he has something to hide.”
By the end of the match, Egypt had received five yellow cards while Argentina received none. “We have been cheated unfairly today,” Hassan said, vowing not to watch another match of the tournament.
