Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has accused FIFA and match officials of favouring Argentina following his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to the reigning world champions in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Argentina came from two goals down to secure victory, with captain Lionel Messi inspiring the comeback by scoring once and creating another goal.
The Egyptian camp was left frustrated after a second-half goal was ruled out following a VAR review, while officials declined to review an incident in which Mohamed Salah was alleged to have been fouled by Alexis Mac Allister in the build-up to Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time winner.
Speaking after the match, Hassan alleged that external influences contributed to the outcome and suggested the defending champions received preferential treatment.
“We looked better than the reigning champions in every aspect, but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it. Perhaps they wanted the world champions to remain in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the tournament,” he said.
Hassan also questioned the appointment of French referee François Letexier, revealing that Egypt had objected to his selection before the match. He criticised the decision not to review the alleged foul on Salah, insisting his side had been denied fair treatment.
The Egypt coach disclosed that he confronted the referee after the final whistle, telling him the officiating had been unfair.
Egypt forward Mostafa Zico also expressed disappointment with the officiating, saying his team had controlled the match before key decisions turned the game in Argentina’s favour.
“We were winning 2-0 and everything changed after that. We were hard done by today, and everyone saw it. I still don’t understand why our second goal was disallowed,” Zico said.