Egypt coach, Hossam Hassan, has criticised the officiating following his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the Pharaohs were “treated unfairly” after a controversial decision disallowed a goal.
Egypt appeared on course for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament after opening a 2-0 lead against the defending champions before Argentina staged a remarkable comeback with three goals in the final 23 minutes. Enzo Fernandez netted the winner in second-half stoppage time to complete the turnaround.
The major talking point came in the 58th minute when Mosafa Zico thought he had extended Egypt’s lead. However, following a VAR review, the goal was ruled out after officials adjudged Maranwa Attia to have fouled Lisandro Martinze in the build-up.
Although Egypt restored their two-goal advantage less than 10 minutes later, Hassan believed the disallowed goal proved decisive in the outcome of the match.
Speaking after the game, Hassan revealed he confronted referee, Francois Letexier, insisting Egypt deserved to progress.
“I think the effect of this outcome goes beyond defeat. We haven’t seen respect nor fair play,” Hassan said through FIFA’s official translation service.
“I’m not convinced by the way things unfolded in this match. I don’t want to dress it up with beautiful words or say it was simply bad luck. We’ve been treated unfairly today. We’ve suffered injustice.”
Hassan also criticised the scheduling of the match, which kicked off at noon local time, arguing that such conditions were unsuitable for a World Cup knockout fixture. He added that he would not be following the remainder of the tournament.
Egypt’s appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was their first since 2018, while their run to the Round of 16 matched the nation’s best performance at the tournament since 1934.
