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Egypt accuses referee bias
Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan denounced refereeing after Egypt’s 3-2 loss to Argentina in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup in Atlanta, saying the match was harmed by decisions made “on the pitch and before the match.”
“Egypt criticizes FIFA after its defeat to Argentina, saying, 'We were deceived”
Hassan linked the controversy to Lionel Messi’s continued presence, telling reporters, “perhaps they want the world champions and Messi to stay in the World Cup for marketing,” after arguing Egypt was superior during several passages of the game.
The dispute centered on refereeing and VAR, with Hassan targeting the VAR and questioning the functioning of the technology after a goal was ruled out and other calls were protested.
In parallel, the Egyptian forward Mostafa Ziko said the refereeing was unfair and described the match as an “injustice,” after Egypt led 2-0 with goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Ziko himself before Argentina’s comeback to reach the quarterfinals.
Ziko and Hassan go further
Mostafa Ziko’s accusations escalated beyond a single call, with RPP quoting him saying, “The Cup is rigged,” after Egypt’s elimination despite leading 2-0.
RPP also reported that Ziko said the disallowed goal was ruled out due to a previous foul by Marwan Attia at the start of the move, and that protests grew over an action before Enzo Fernández’s strike that sealed Argentina’s qualification.
Hassan echoed the same theme of bias in remarks carried by El Financiero, where he said, “Maybe they want the champion of the last World Cup to stay in the tournament, they want Messi to continue.”
El Financiero further reported Hassan’s claim that “There seemed to have been pressure from Argentina on the referee,” and it said he told the referee François Letexier the outcome was unfair after the match.
What happens next for Egypt
Egypt’s campaign ended after Argentina advanced to the World Cup 2026 quarterfinals, and the controversy over refereeing and VAR continued as Hassan and Ziko framed the result as an injustice tied to marketing and commercial interests.
“Coach Hossam Hassan and player Mostafa Ziko expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing in Argentina's victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup”
Al-Monitor reported that Hassan urged FIFA to use the sport’s “soft power” to help Palestinians on Monday, while also saying, “Our development won't stop here, and we have many big goals ahead of us.”
In the same coverage, Al-Monitor described the VAR dispute around Zico’s goal in the 58th minute being disallowed after a foul by Marwan Attiya against Argentina’s Leandro Martínez, and it said Egypt increased its lead in the 67th minute before Argentina scored in the 79th, 83rd, and 90+3 minutes.
El Financiero added that Hassan said he would not watch the rest of the World Cup matches, quoting him: “I will not watch even a single more game of this tournament,” as a personal protest after Egypt’s elimination.
