Egypt Fury Over Refereeing as Argentina Reach World Cup Quarterfinals

Egypt’s players and coaching staff strongly criticized the match officials following a controversial 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, accusing the referee of making a series of decisive errors.

The controversy began in the second half when Egypt had a goal ruled out following a VAR review. The referee disallowed the goal for an alleged foul that Egyptian players argued occurred far from the scoring play, prompting strong protests.

Late in the match, Egypt captain Mohamed Salah was involved in a challenge with an Argentine player, with Egyptian players appealing for a foul after Salah was brought down. The referee allowed play to continue, a decision that drew widespread criticism from fans on social media. Another penalty appeal by Egypt was also waved away after a separate incident involving an Argentine defender.

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan repeatedly protested the referee’s decisions during the match and was shown a yellow card for his objections.

Argentina rallied to score three second-half goals, defeating Egypt 3-2 and advancing to the quarterfinals.

After the match, Egyptian player Mostafa Zeko launched a scathing attack on the officiating, claiming the tournament had been “fixed” and alleging that the referee failed to deliver a fair contest.

Head coach Hossam Hassan echoed those sentiments, accusing the officials of bias. According to international media reports, he said that regardless of the result, he believed the match had been fixed and questioned why other teams were invited to compete if Argentina was destined to win.

The refereeing decisions have sparked intense debate online, with many supporters criticizing the officials, while no official response had been issued by FIFA regarding the allegations.