The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has officially voiced its discontent regarding the officiating during their recent match against Argentina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. The match, held on July 7 in Atlanta, saw Egypt initially leading 2-0 before Argentina staged a remarkable comeback, scoring three goals in just 13 minutes to win 3-2.

In a statement released on July 9, the EFA emphasized that they "cannot remain silent" about the referee's decisions, which they believe were biased and detrimental to their team's performance. Coach Hossam Hassan and the Egyptian players have been vocal in their criticism, describing the officiating as "unfair" and claiming that they were victims of poor refereeing.

One of the most controversial moments of the match was the disallowed goal by Egypt in the 58th minute. After reviewing the VAR, the referee ruled that Marawan Attia had committed a foul against Argentina's Lisandro Martinez before scoring. The EFA's statement highlighted that several critical incidents raised serious concerns about the consistency and fairness of the decisions that influenced the match's outcome.

The decisive goal by Enzo Fernandez in the second minute of stoppage time led to chaos on the Egyptian bench, resulting in the goalkeeper coach Saafan Elsaghir receiving a red card for his outburst towards referee Francois Letexier. Multiple yellow cards were issued for protests against this goal, especially after the referees failed to review a potential foul by Alexis Mac Allister just prior.

The EFA expressed disappointment, stating that the events of the match had caused widespread frustration among players, staff, and fans who expected the highest standards of officiating on such a grand stage. Egypt had initially taken control of the match with Mostafa Zico scoring in the 67th minute, but the tide turned dramatically when Lionel Messi assisted Cristian Romero's goal in the 79th minute, leading to Argentina's comeback.

In the post-match press conference, Coach Hassan hinted that FIFA might have a vested interest in keeping Lionel Messi in the tournament, suggesting that the outcome was influenced by factors both on and off the pitch. He remarked, "We played better than the defending champions, but the result was affected by various elements. Perhaps they want the world champion to go further, perhaps they want Messi to stay in the race."

Hassan also raised doubts about the fairness of the officiating, stating, "In football, sometimes there are factors beyond the technical aspects. The defending champions receive support at every level. We opposed the appointment of this referee but to no avail. We did not see respect or fair play here. Mohamed Salah's foul in the penalty area was not called, and even VAR did not review it."

Argentina will advance to the quarter-finals to face Switzerland, while the EFA's statement reflects the deep disappointment felt by Egyptian players, staff, and fans. "Every player wearing the Egyptian national team jersey and every supporter deserves to be treated fairly, with respect, and to have the rules applied equally," the statement concluded.