Egyptian Football Association Raises ‘Serious Concerns' After Argentina Loss

Earlier this week, Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan said his team was the victim of an “injustice” and suggested that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi to “stay in the running” at the competition.

His complaint came after Egypt saw a 2-0 lead evaporate in the final 15 minutes of the game as Argentina mounted a miraculous comeback. Egypt, though, doesn’t see it as miraculous, instead placing blame on the officials and VAR for allegedly missing a number of calls during the contest.

On Wednesday morning the Egyptian Football Association issued a scathing message saying that, “What occurred during the match has understandably generated widespread frustration among our players, staff, and supporters, who expected the highest standards of officiating on football's biggest stage.

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“Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game,” it added in the statement. “A number of football experts and specialist analysts, both locally and internationally, have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing incidents during the match.”

The complaints come after Egypt had a goal disallowed following a VAR review and then a subsequent failure to check on an apparent foul by Alexis Mac Allister in the immediate buildup to Enzo Fernandez’s match-winning goal.

Argentina will now face off against Switzerland in the quarterfinals. The winner will take on the winner of a match between England and Norway.

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 11:37 AM.