The Egyptian Football Association has launched criticism against the refereeing decisions during Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup round of 16, insisting it will not stay quiet over what it described as the incorrect application of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
The federation stated on Wednesday that several officiating calls made during the encounter had a direct impact on the final result.
Egypt looked set to complete one of the tournament’s biggest shocks after taking a 2-0 lead over defending champions Argentina with just 11 minutes remaining on Tuesday. However, three late goals turned the match around and ended Egypt’s World Cup campaign.
“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,” the federation said in a statement posted on social media.
“A number of football experts and specialist analysts, both locally and internationally, have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing incidents during the match.
“This underlines the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and transparency in match officiating, particularly in a competition of the stature and significance of the FIFA World Cup 2026.”
Reports from several media outlets claim that EFA President Hany Abo Rida has filed an official complaint against French referee Francois Letexier and his officiating team.
FIFA has yet to issue a response to Al Jazeera’s request for clarification regarding Egypt’s reported complaint.
The main source of controversy was Mostafa Zico’s effort in the 62nd minute, which would have extended Egypt’s advantage. The goal was ruled out after a VAR review determined that an Egyptian player had committed a foul during the build-up.
Egypt’s anger increased in the closing stages when their penalty appeals were rejected after Hamdy Fathy fell following a challenge. Moments later, Argentina moved forward and scored the decisive goal in the 92nd minute.
Simon Chadwick, professor of Afro-Eurasian sport at Emlyon Business School in Shanghai, questioned why VAR officials intervened over an incident that was not initially considered a foul by the match officials, involving Egypt’s Marwan Attia’s contact with Lisandro Martinez.
“A logical solution to the VAR issue would be for fans and viewers to listen to an assessment of the alleged offence, hear the various arguments, and have a clear insight into the basis for a decision,” Simon Chadwick, professor of Afro-Eurasian sport at the Emlyon Business School in Shanghai, told Al Jazeera.
Chadwick acknowledged that Egyptian players needed to control their emotions better but argued that the VAR decision created “a sense of injustice”.
“This technology was supposed to minimise doubt and bring consistency. Instead, its use during this match had significant cognitive and behavioural effects,” he said.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan and captain Mohamed Salah voiced their frustration following the defeat, while a number of former players and television analysts also raised concerns over the refereeing.
“Surely, this is not within VAR’s [realm] to review this,” former England goalkeeper Rob Green said on Fox’s broadcast of the match, referring to the decision to overturn Zico’s goal.
“It’s a full length of the pitch away.”
Former England captain Alan Shearer also questioned the consistency of the decisions made during the game.
“Either both are fouls, or neither is. But they told us they won’t re-referee,” the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer wrote on social media.
Former Arsenal forward Ian Wright highlighted another controversial moment involving Salah and argued that the same standard should have been applied.
“If you’re going to pull it back for Argentina on the edge of the box to disallow a goal, you have to pull it back for this one with Mo Salah. He’s been caught. Whatever we say, it might be minimal, he’s been caught, and then they go up the other end,” Wright said on ITV.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher also questioned whether VAR was being applied consistently across major leagues.
“If that was in the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A, it would have been a goal even after VAR review,” he said.
