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“Egypt Team Mocks Argentina After Match”? “Egypt’s Opponent Today Is FIFA”? Egypt’s Head Coach Slams Unfair Officiating

In the Round of 16 match of the US-Canada-Mexico World Cup on the 8th, Argentina—once trailing by two goals—scored three times within the final 13 minutes, ultimately reversing to beat Egypt 3-2 and advance to the quarterfinals in dramatic fashion.

This was the first time Argentina and Egypt had met on the World Cup stage. Both teams had gone through a hard-fought previous round: Argentina narrowly defeated Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time, while Egypt eliminated Australia only through a penalty shootout. Statistics show that before this match, Argentina had won eight consecutive World Cup matches against African teams.

The Egypt team and their fans collectively questioned the referees’ bias, saying, “The opponent is the entire FIFA.” The controversies included: after Egypt led 2-0, Ziku’s goal was ruled out; Salah’s apparent penalty was not given; VAR did not step in on key decisions; and Egyptian players frequently received yellow cards for protests. —— Just 15 minutes into the match, Egypt’s center-back Ibrahim broke the deadlock first, making it 1-0. In the 19th minute, Argentina was awarded a penalty, but Messi’s spot kick was brilliantly saved by Egyptian goalkeeper Shubair—at that moment, it seemed even fate favored Egypt. An even bigger controversy arrived in the 58th minute. Egypt launched a quick counterattack, Salah threaded a pass, and Ziku fired home. Ziku excitedly took off his shirt to celebrate, and Egypt’s fans were already ready to welcome a 2-0 lead. But VAR intervened—after reviewing, referee Letexier found that in the very same attacking phase that led to the goal, Egyptian player Atia stepped on Argentine defender Lisandro Martínez at the start of the move. The referee determined a foul occurred first, and the goal was ruled invalid. That moment left the entire Egypt squad stunned. Journalist Rob Harris commented, “Although this complies with the VAR rules, the original purpose of introducing this technology was not to do so—to go back that far to review a relatively minor tackle on the other end of the pitch.” Chelsea team reporter Kinsella was even more blunt, saying, “The referee was unbelievably harsh in this decision against Egypt.”

However, Egypt did not fall. Just 8 minutes later, Ziku scored again, and Egypt led 2-0! The Pharaohs were only one final step away from making history. In the 79th minute, Argentine center-back Romero headed in to pull one back. In the 83rd minute, Messi fired a volley from the air to level the score. 2-2—bringing the match back to square one.

The real storm came during stoppage time. In the 90+2 minute, Lautaro delivered a cross, and Enzo Fernández headed in the winner! Argentina scored three goals in the final 11 minutes of regular time and stoppage time, completing a stunning comeback.

Yet Egypt’s players protested wildly: before Argentina’s attack this time, Salah appeared to be fouled and brought down inside the penalty area by an Argentine player, but the referee showed no sign, and VAR did not intervene either. Egypt believed that if that foul had been called, not only should Argentina’s winning goal have been disallowed, but Egypt should also have been awarded a penalty. After confirming the winning goal was valid, referee Letexier showed Egypt six yellow cards in succession. One member of the coaching staff was sent off with a red card for protesting.

Egypt’s anger was not without reason. Throughout the match, the referees’ decision-making showed a “double standard” that Egypt could not accept:

First, the time span for reviewing goals. Egypt’s goal was disallowed because of a tackle on the other end of the pitch that occurred before the goal. Reporter Harris pointed out, “The referee had already seen that tackle.” In other words, the referee did not call a foul at the time, allowing play to continue, but after Egypt scored, he pulled out the “old record” and canceled the goal.

Second, the same situation treated differently. Before Argentina’s winning goal, Salah was fouled in the box, yet the referee pretended not to notice, and VAR also chose to stay silent. Egyptian legend Aboutrika said after the match, “From the start of the game, the whole team felt the referee was targeting us. Are we playing against Messi, or are we playing against FIFA and the refereeing team?” Egyptian refereeing expert Ghandour also said bluntly, “The head coach started handing out yellow cards to Egyptian players, while being overly lenient toward Argentine players for fouls in multiple similar situations.”

After the match, Egypt’s head coach Hassan went all-out in the press conference: “We were cheated unfairly today. A penalty that should have been ours was not checked, and another goal was also ruled out. I can’t understand these decisions.” He even said, “I assure you, from the moment I go back, I will not watch any match of this World Cup anymore.”

Hassan also directly took aim at FIFA: “This might be a commercial marketing issue. Maybe they want to promote the World Cup, hope the defending champion stays, and hope Messi stays.” He said without hesitation, “It’s all for money—they want Messi to keep staying in this World Cup.”

After the match, Egypt’s forward Ziku said with red eyes: “The head coach performed poorly, and it was not fair. His unfairness is obvious—he targeted us from the start of the game. He didn’t want us to win. This is a match that has been manipulated.” He mocked, “Congratulations, Argentina. Looks like they’re going to win another World Cup.”

Egyptian legend Aboutrika went even further by directly pointing at FIFA President Infantino: “The ‘Fair Play’ slogan FIFA has long advocated has now turned into ‘phone-controlled manipulation.’” In contrast, Egypt captain Salah, in the dressing room, calmed his teammates and emphasized, “This is part of football.” But everyone knows the 34-year-old Salah may never have another World Cup again.

This controversy is not an isolated case. At the 2026 World Cup, controversial refereeing decisions from FIFA have already sparked public anger more than once.

“Amnesty” for US forward Balogun. On July 1, during the match between the US and Bosnia and Herzegovina, US forward Balogun stepped on an opponent’s ankle. After VAR intervened, he was directly shown a red card. Under the rules, he should have been automatically suspended for one match. However, on July 5, FIFA announced that Balogun’s ban would be “deferred for one year.” This means Balogun became the first player in World Cup history to continue playing after receiving a red card. The Belgian head coach, at a pre-match press conference, criticized the decision as “violating the bottom line of football fairness,” and UEFA also issued a statement accusing FIFA of “crossing the red line.” Multiple media reports claimed that US President Trump personally called FIFA to put pressure on them.

VAR’s area of intervention keeps expanding. This World Cup expanded VAR intervention scenarios, including “clear errors on the second yellow card,” “wrong-person mistakes leading to card errors,” and “incorrectly given corner kicks,” all of which are deemed acceptable for VAR checks. However, in actual operation, VAR’s standards for intervention have become increasingly vague—as demonstrated in Egypt’s match: referees can choose to go back to a minor contact outside half-time to cancel a goal, and they can also ignore what appears to be a penalty inside the box. This “selective intervention” turns fair play into an empty slogan.

At the final whistle, Messi shed tears on the pitch. On the other side of the field, Egypt’s players slumped to the ground, unable to believe what had happened. A 2-0 lead, a historic breakthrough, the dream of defeating the defending champions—everything was wiped out by the referee’s whistle.

Egypt’s head coach Hassan said something that silenced everyone: “Life isn’t always fair, and the world isn’t always fair, but why can’t sports matches be fair either?” This may be the heaviest question the 2026 World Cup leaves to the football world.