​The Egyptian Football Association has stated that it has asked FIFA to remove the officials who oversaw their World Cup last-16 defeat by Argentina from the tournament. The EFA said it has lodged a formal complaint with football’s governing body and is requesting an investigation into what it describes as “double standards” in the officiating during the match in Atlanta.
With Egypt ahead 1-0 in the second half, the video assistant referee (VAR) disallowed a goal by Mostafa Zico after Egypt midfielder Marwan Attia was penalised for stepping on Lisandro Martinez’s foot at the start of the attacking move. Egypt also contends that Mohamed Salah was fouled in the Argentina penalty area just moments before the reigning champions launched their stoppage-time winner in a dramatic 3-2 victory.
An EFA statement read: “Hany Abou Rida, president of the Egyptian football federation, filed a complaint with FIFA, demanding an investigation into the French referee Francois Letexier following the serious refereeing errors committed by the officiating team and the double standards which caused the Egypt team to lose the match and exit the World Cup.” The federation said it had called for an investigation into both the refereeing crew and the video technology team after what it described as “blatant errors and a persistent failure to review certain footage.” It added that it “demanded the exclusion of the referee and the entire crew from the World Cup after investigating these mistakes” and accused the officials of “the crime of discrimination against the Egyptian national team.”
Egypt have never advanced to the World Cup quarter-finals. Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who could be playing in what may be his final World Cup, helped create their first goal in the 79th minute and then converted a late equaliser in the 83rd minute. After the match, Egypt’s manager Hossam Hassan said the team had been “treated unfairly” and had “suffered injustice.” “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” he suggested.
Zico, speaking on the matter, criticised the officiating: “The referee was really unfair. The injustice was clear. There’s been an unfairness right from the start of the match. It is clear that this tournament has been fixed.” Argentina are scheduled to play Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday (02:00 BST, Sunday).
BBC Sport has reached out to FIFA for comment regarding the EFA’s complaint and its requests. Egypt’s reaction has added to a broader discourse about officiating consistency and transparency in the tournament, with the Egyptian federation insisting that what it calls biased officiating denied their team a fair chance on the World Cup stage. The surrounding controversy has sparked discussions about the role of VAR and the accountability mechanisms for refereeing decisions in major tournaments.