Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has questioned the officiating in his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina, suggesting the defending champions benefited from favourable decisions because of Lionel Messi’s presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the Egyptian news outlet Ahram Online, Hassan made the remarks after Egypt surrendered a two-goal lead before Enzo Fernández scored a stoppage-time winner, sending Argentina into the quarter-finals.
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The Pharaohs looked on course for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament after opening a 2-0 lead, only for Argentina to stage a remarkable late comeback through Cristian Romero, Messi and Fernández.
Despite the heartbreaking defeat, Hassan said he was proud of his players for reaching the knockout stage for the first time in Egypt’s World Cup history.
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“I am very happy with my team’s performance at the World Cup,” Hassan told reporters.
“We have a good team that honoured African and Arab football. We don’t fear any team. We will build on what we achieved at this World Cup because we have many goals for the future. Our ambition is to compete on equal terms with any team in the world.”
The former Egypt striker also praised his largely home-based squad for standing toe-to-toe with one of the world’s strongest teams.
“I thank my players for their performance, and I am very satisfied with them. The majority of my players compete in the domestic league, and they have proven they can challenge players in the world’s biggest leagues. We will earn our place among the world’s top football nations.”
Flawed officiating
However, Hassan reserved his strongest comments for French referee François Letexier and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
“We haven’t seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out, and a second incident that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR. A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed,” he said during his post-match press conference.
“There seems to have been pressure from the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome.
“Life is unfair. The world is unfair. OK, but why is there no fairness in sports? I’m not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match.”
Hassan also criticised the scheduling of the match, which kicked off at midday local time.
“Whoever schedules these matches is someone who has never played football. You never schedule a football match at 12 noon,” he said.
Speaking later to beIN Sports, as quoted by France24, the Egypt coach went further, suggesting the tournament favoured the defending champions.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition? Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running?” Hassan said.
“In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions benefited from support at every level.”
He added, “I told the referee that what was happening wasn’t fair. It’s an undeserved victory for Argentina. Once I’m back in my country and at home, I’ll never watch the World Cup again, because there’s no justice in this competition.”
More criticism
Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko also criticised the officiating after the match.
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“Not fair, not fair. The referee was the reason for the defeat,” Ziko said.
Despite the disappointment, Hassan apologised to Egyptian supporters while expressing pride in the team’s historic campaign.
“I apologise to the Egyptian people. We wanted to make you happy, but it was beyond our control. I’m sorry. I wanted us to go as far as possible, but in the end, we all saw what happened,” he said.
Egypt’s impressive run included draws against Belgium and Iran, a victory over New Zealand in the group stage, and a penalty shootout win over Australia in the Round of 32 before their dramatic exit against Argentina.
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