The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has formally asked FIFA to investigate the officiating team that handled Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina, calling for the referees to be removed from the remainder of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The complaint follows Tuesday’s last-16 clash in Atlanta, where Egypt surrendered a two-goal advantage after Argentina staged a remarkable late comeback to reach the quarter-finals.
At the centre of Egypt’s protest are two contentious decisions that the federation believes changed the course of the match.
With Egypt leading 1-0, Mostafa Zico appeared to have doubled his side’s advantage before the goal was overturned following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review. Officials ruled that midfielder Marwan Attia had fouled Lisandro Martinez by stepping on his foot during the build-up.
Egypt also felt they should have been awarded a penalty moments before Argentina launched the attack that produced the winning goal in stoppage time. The incident was not reviewed on the pitch, adding to the frustration of the Egyptian camp.
In a strongly worded statement, EFA president Hany Abou Rida confirmed the federation had submitted an official complaint against French referee François Letexier, accusing the officiating team of making serious errors and applying inconsistent standards.
The federation said it wanted FIFA to investigate what it described as “blatant mistakes” by both the on-field officials and the VAR team, claiming some incidents favourable to Egypt were ignored despite available footage. It also demanded that Letexier and the entire officiating crew be excluded from the remainder of the tournament after the investigation, while alleging discriminatory treatment towards the Egyptian national team.
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan was equally outspoken after the final whistle, suggesting the defending champions may have benefited from circumstances beyond the football itself.
“We looked better than the reigning champions, but the result was influenced by factors both on and off the pitch,” Hassan said.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to remain in the tournament.”
The former Egypt striker added that his side had “been treated unfairly” and insisted key decisions had gone against his players throughout the contest.
Goalscorer Mostafa Zico also questioned the officiating, saying the referee had been “really unfair” and describing the disallowed goal as clear injustice. He went further by claiming the tournament had been “fixed.”
Despite the controversy, Argentina completed one of the most dramatic comebacks of the tournament. Lionel Messi inspired the turnaround by creating Argentina’s first goal before scoring the equaliser himself, with the defending champions eventually sealing a 3-2 victory to book a quarter-final against Switzerland.
While Egypt’s complaint has intensified debate over VAR and refereeing standards, history suggests FIFA is unlikely to overturn the result or take significant action. Similar protests over officiating decisions at previous World Cups have generally been dismissed, with football’s governing body rarely intervening once matches have concluded.
