Egypt FA demands official investigation

Thursday, 9 July 2026 03:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Egyptian Football Association has demanded an investigation into the officiating team after a series of controversial decisions during Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 Round of 16 defeat to Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Egypt’s World Cup campaign ended in the Round of 16 after they lost 3-2 to defending champions Argentina in Atlanta on Tuesday, despite leading 2-0 for the first 79 minutes of the game. The match has since sparked debate over several refereeing decisions.

The first major flashpoint came when Mostafa Zico had a goal ruled out following a VAR review, with referee Francois Letexier ruling there had been a foul on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the build-up.

Later, with the match level, Egypt appealed for a penalty after Julian Alvarez’s challenge on Mo Salah. Moments later, Egypt also claimed Alexis Mac Allister fouled Hamdi Fathy in the build-up to Enzo Fernandez’s winning goal.

Egypt argues the incidents were handled inconsistently, with the foul that led to its disallowed goal reviewed and penalised, while play continued without a VAR review before Argentina’s winning goal.

Following the match, Hany Abo Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association, submitted a formal complaint to FIFA requesting a full investigation into the situation.

According to the federation, the complaint alleges that serious refereeing mistakes directly contributed to Egypt’s elimination from the tournament.

The Egyptian FA has also requested an investigation into referee Francois Letexier, his on-field assistants and the VAR team, and has asked FIFA to remove the officiating crew from the remainder of the tournament pending the outcome of that investigation.

In its statement, the federation praised the Egyptian players’ performance against the defending champions, describing them as “heroes”, while apologising to supporters for failing to hold onto their lead.